“The roar of weapons may be silenced”

Christmas message

Pope calls for peace: “The roar of weapons should be silenced”

The struggle for a peace solution for Ukraine has so far been unsuccessful. People in the country are also killed in Russian attacks at Christmas. The Pope formulates hope.

In his Christmas message, Pope Leo XIV expressed the hope for a sincere dialogue between Russia and the attacked Ukraine to end the war. “May the roar of weapons cease and may the parties involved, supported by the commitment of the international community, find the courage to conduct an honest, direct and respectful dialogue,” said the Catholic leader at the climax of the Vatican’s Christmas celebrations in front of thousands of believers in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

The Pope also remembered people in other countries around the world who suffer from the consequences of wars and, in addition to Ukraine, particularly highlighted the Middle East. On his recent trip there, he heard people’s fears and knew their feeling of powerlessness in the face of the power relations under which they suffered, he said. The Pope also explicitly mentioned the residents of the Gaza Strip who had lost everything.

Following his speech, he gave the blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (The City and the World). For the Catholic Church it is the first Christmas with its new leader.