Overview
- Speaking from St. Peter’s Basilica, he appealed for “one full day of peace throughout the world” on Christmas.
- He said Russia had “apparently refused” a requested Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine and voiced sorrow for civilians under attack.
- He called on Moscow and Kyiv to begin sincere, direct dialogue with support from the international community.
- He spotlighted Gaza’s displacement, invoking families in tents facing rain and cold, and expressed hope the ceasefire will progress.
- He broadened his focus to migrants and the displaced in conflicts including Sudan, Myanmar, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, while reviving certain liturgical traditions in his first Christmas as pope.