Pope Francis calls for an end to 'senseless war' in Ukraine
Thousands of people gathered on Sunday in St Peter's Square to hear Pope Francis deliver his Christmas Day message, where he offered prayers for those caught up in the conflict in Ukraine.
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Thousands of people, some of them holding Ukrainian flags, turned out in the midday sunshine to hear the head of the Catholic Church deliver the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing ("to the city and the world").
A call to peace is traditionally the focus of the pope's message at Christmas, the holiday marking the birth of Christ, which he delivers from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica and is broadcast live worldwide.
The 86-year-old on Sunday first turned to "our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are experiencing this Christmas in the dark and cold, far from their homes".
Enlighten minds
"May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war!" he said.
"Tragically, we prefer to heed other counsels, dictated by worldly ways of thinking," he added, recalling "with sorrow" that "the icy winds of war continue to buffet humanity".
"Our time is experiencing a grave famine of peace also in other regions and other theatres of this third world war," he said.
Francis referenced numerous countries in difficulty this Christmas, whether due to conflict or another crisis, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Lebanon and Haiti.
Reconciliation in Iran
For the first time, he also called for "reconciliation" in Iran, rocked by women-led protests for the past three months.
The pope has called for peace in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded its neighbour in February, condemning the war but seeking to maintain a delicate dialogue with Moscow.
However, he has been criticised in some quarters for not being more explicit in blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Sunday, the pope also urged those celebrating Christmas to remember those "who go hungry while huge amounts of food daily go to waste and resources are being spent on weapons".
"The war in Ukraine has further aggravated this situation, putting entire peoples at risk of famine, especially in Afghanistan and in the countries of the Horn of Africa," he said.
"We know that every war causes hunger and exploits food as a weapon, hindering its distribution to people already suffering.
"On this day, let us learn from the Prince of Peace (Christ) and, starting with those who hold political responsibilities, commit ourselves to making food solely an instrument of peace."
Children 'devoured by wars'
On Saturday evening, the pope led the traditional Christmas Eve mass at St Peter's Basilica with some 7,000 people attending, according to the Vatican. Around 4,000 people followed the ceremony on giant screens installed outside.
Using a wheelchair as he continues to struggle with knee pain, the pope prayed for "the children devoured by wars, poverty and injustice" and lamented that "men hungry for power and money swallow up their loved ones, their brothers".
He called on people to "abandon the warmth of worldliness" and "rediscover the meaning of Christmas" in the face of "consumerism", advocating for a Church that serves the poor.
(with wires)
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