The 88-year-old pontiff’s address on Wednesday comes amid Israel’s ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza, which has claimed at least 45,300 lives, including over 17,400 children, since October 2023.
Marking his 12th Christmas as pontiff, Pope Francis also held Christmas calls with Palestinian Christians in Gaza, underscoring their plight as they face the threat of extinction.
As the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, Pope Francis has intensified his criticism of the Israeli regime, calling for an immediate ceasefire and improved humanitarian access to Gaza.
He extended his Christmas appeal to other global crises, including the conflict in Sudan, where 20 months of civil war have left millions on the brink of famine.
In his Christmas address last week, the Pope condemned the killing of children in Gaza, describing it as “cruelty.”
Referring to an Israeli airstrike that killed ten family members, including seven children, on December 21, he said, “Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty; this is not war. I want to say it because it touches the heart.”
The pontiff highlighted Gaza’s historical significance, calling it a “quite ancient city” that has become synonymous with “death and destruction.”
He also reflected on Gaza's early Christian heritage, where “monasteries and outstanding saints and teachers flourished.”
A man holds up a phone for Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family, to have a video conference call with Pope Francis on December 24, 2024. (AFP)Pope Francis reiterated his call for peace in a message delivered on November 17, urging world leaders to heed “the cry of the people who are asking for peace.”
Earlier this year, on March 31, he expressed hope that “Christ open a path of peace for the war-torn peoples of those regions” and renewed his plea for unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza.