During Sunday Angelus prayer Pope Francis called for a ceasefire on all war fronts, especially in Ukraine and Gaza. He condemned the cruelty of bombing civilian areas and urged for peace ahead of Christmas.
“Let the weapons fall silent and let the Christmas carols ring out!” Francis said, delivering his Sunday blessing from indoors. “Let us pray that at Christmas there will be a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, throughout the Middle East and the world,” the Pope said.
He also expressed his pain thinking of Gaza, “of such cruelty, to the machine-gunning of children, to the bombing of schools and hospitals. How much cruelty!”
The pontiff, who turned 88 this past week, appeared in good shape on Sunday, after looking wheezing and congested during his annual Christmas greeting to Vatican bureaucrats on Saturday. Despite a recent cold, he remained active in preparations for upcoming celebrations.
