Papa: Our hearts are in Bethlehem

Pope Francescu expressed regret over the desperate humanitarian “sector for Palestinians in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages in his 25 December Christmas message.

“Conte, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace has once again been rejected by the futile logic of war”, he told some 6,500 believers, referring to Jesus Christ.

My heart grieves at the victims of the 7 October disgusting attack and I repeat my urgent appeal for the release of those still held hostage”, 86-year-old said in his annual Christmas message.

I call for an end to military operations with their terrible harvest of innocent civilian victims, and I call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by allowing humanitarian aid supplies”, he told thousands of believers gathered at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

The pope also called for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “through sincere and persistent dialogue between the parties, supported by strong political will and support of the international community”.

Nearly three months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas ʹ the group declared terrorist organisations by the United States and the EU humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is “a catastrophe”, with 85 percent of the displaced population.

The war began on 7 October when Hamas' armed men penetrated Gaza's militarized border and killed about 1,140 people in Israel, mainly civilians, according to an AFP report based on Israeli figures.

Palestinian militants also kidnapped about 250 people, 129 of whom remained in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Pledging to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a bombing and land invasion of Gaza, where 20,424 people were killed, mainly women and children, according to the latest number by Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Israel controls the entry into Gaza, and a large quantity of aid has entered through Egypt. Last week, Israel approved sending aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing site, but the amount is insufficient to meet needs on devastated territory.

The head of Catholics in his speech also spoke of conflicts in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, saying he prayed “that political and social stability be achieved soon.

Pope Francisescu also said he requires “peace for Ukraine”, which is celebrating Christmas on December 25th for the first time, ignoring the traditional Orthodox date of January 7th celebrated in Russia.

Let us renew our spiritual and human proximity to its lowly people so that, with each of us, they can sense the concrete reality of God's love”, he said.

The pope also called for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been mired in a territorial conflict for decades, while citing also <x0-conflicts that concern the region of Sahel, the Brit of Africa and Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan”.

He said he hoped tensions on the Korean peninsula would be resolved “by undertaking processes of dialogue and reconciliation capable of creating conditions for lasting peace”.

The Argentinian Pope reserved his final words for the American continent, calling on “to people of goodwill” of “unequivocal ways to solve social and political conflicts, combat poverty forms that violate people's dignity, reduce inequality and address the disturbing phenomenon of migration”.