This came during his presiding over the Christmas Mass on Thursday at the famous St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
In his speech, Pope Leo XIV called for peace throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine, and stressed the need not to forget the Palestinian people in Gaza, who are suffering from hunger and poverty. He asked: "How can we not think of the tents in Gaza that have been exposed for weeks to rain, wind, and cold?"
Regarding Ukraine, the Pope said: "Let the weapons fall silent, and let both sides, with the support of the international community, find the courage to engage in honest, direct and respectful dialogue."
On Christmas Day, Pope Leo XIV wished that "peace, stability and justice may prevail in Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Syria."
Christian denominations that follow the Western calendar celebrate Christmas at midnight on December 24-25 each year, while those that follow the Eastern calendar celebrate it on January 7.
The Gaza Strip has recently witnessed the collapse of several houses and residential buildings previously damaged by Israeli bombing, due to the impact of heavy rains and strong winds, resulting in the death and injury of a number of Palestinians, according to government sources.
Palestinians are forced to live in cracked and dilapidated buildings due to the lack of options amid Israel’s destruction of most buildings in the sector and its prevention of the entry of mobile homes and building and reconstruction materials, reneging on its obligations stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.
The agreement ended a genocidal war that Israel began on October 8, 2023, with American support, and which lasted for two years, leaving about 71,000 Palestinian dead, more than 171,000 wounded, and massive destruction affecting 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at about $70 billion.
