Overview
- He called from St. Peter’s Basilica for the “clamour of weapons” to cease and for sincere, direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.
- He said Russia had apparently rejected a Christmas truce request and voiced sadness over the refusal.
- His intervention coincides with negotiations led by the United States that seek a settlement without any recent face‑to‑face talks between the warring sides.
- He highlighted Gaza’s hardship, invoking families in exposed tents during winter, as aid groups press for more supplies while Israel’s COGAT reports about 310,000 tents and tarpaulins delivered since October.
- Marking his first Christmas since his May election, he widened prayers to migrants, the homeless, and people in conflicts spanning Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti, Thailand and Cambodia.