In his Christmas message,Pope Francis sent out appeals for Syria, the Holy Land, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Nigeria, South Sudan, Congo, Ukraine, Venezuela, Colombia, Myanmar and Korea. He also spared a thought for victims of terrorism and those affected by earthquakes.
“The power of this Child, Son of God and Son of Mary, is not the power of this world, based on might and wealth; it is the power of love.” Pope Francis began his fourth Urbi et Orbi Christmas message (to the city of Rome and to the entire world) by recalling the reversal of values that gave rise to Christianity with the birth of Jesus. In his message, Francis referred to all the most dramatic situations of conflict and violence, sketching out the geography of that third world war fought piecemeal which he has spoken about on many occasions.
From the window of the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis recalled that “the power of the Son of God and Mary, which created the heavens and the Earth, which gives life to all creation: to minerals, plants and animals, is the force which attracts man and woman, and makes them one flesh, one single existence; it is the power which gives new birth, pardons faults, reconciles enemies, and transforms evil into good. It is the power of God. This power of love led Jesus Christ to strip himself of his glory and become man; it led him to give his life on the cross and to rise from the dead. It is the power of service, which inaugurates in our world the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice and peace.” Today this Christmas message “goes out to the ends of the earth to reach all peoples, especially those scarred by war and harsh conflicts that seem stronger than the yearning for peace”.
Francis wished “peace to men and women in the war-torn land of Syria where far too much blood has been spilled. Above all in the city of Aleppo, site of the most awful battles in recent weeks, it is most urgent that assistance and support be guaranteed to the exhausted civil populace, with respect for humanitarian law. It is time for weapons to be still forever, and the international community to actively seek a negotiated solution, so that civil coexistence can be restored in the country.”
The Pope also wished “peace to women and men of the beloved Holy Land, the land chosen and favoured by God. May Israelis and Palestinians have the courage and the determination to write a new page of history, where hate and revenge give way to the will to build together a future of mutual understanding and harmony. May Iraq, Libya and Yemen – where their peoples suffer war and the brutality of terrorism – be able once again to find unity and concord.”
“Peace to the men and women in various parts of Africa,” he continued, “especially in Nigeria, where fundamentalist terrorism exploits even children in order to perpetrate horror and death. Peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so that divisions may be healed and all people of good will may strive to undertake the path of development and sharing, preferring the culture of dialogue to the mindset of conflict.”
“Peace to women and men who to this day suffer the consequences of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, where,” Francis recalled, “there is urgent need for a common desire to bring relief to the civil population and to put into practice the commitments which have been assumed.”
Francis then implored “harmony for the dear people of Colombia, which seeks to embark on a new and courageous path of dialogue and reconciliation,” in light of the peace agreement between FARC guerrillas and the government, which put an end to 52 years of civil war but was rejected in a popular referendum. The Pope also spared a thought for the “beloved country of Venezuela to undertake the necessary steps to put an end to current tensions, and build together a future of hope for the whole population”.
“Peace to all who, in different areas,” Francis added, “are enduring sufferings due to constant dangers and persistent injustice. May Myanmar consolidate its efforts to promote peaceful coexistence and, with the assistance of the international community, provide necessary protection and humanitarian assistance to all those who gravely and urgently need it. May the Korean peninsula see the tensions it is experiencing overcome in a renewed spirit of cooperation.”
The Pope also wished “peace to those who have been hurt or have lost a person dear to them as a result of brutal acts of terrorism, and to those who have sown fear and death into the hearts of so many countries and cities”.
He called for “peace – not merely the word, but a real and concrete peace – to our abandoned and excluded brothers and sisters, to those who suffer hunger and to all the victims of violence. Peace to exiles, migrants and refugees, to all those who in our day are subject to human trafficking. Peace to the peoples who suffer because of the economic ambitions of the few, because of the sheer greed and the idolatry of money, which leads to slavery. Peace to those affected by social and economic unrest, and to those who endure the consequences of earthquakes or other natural catastrophes.”
Francis ended with a wish of peace for children “on this special day on which God became a child, above all those deprived of the joys of childhood because of hunger, wars or the selfishness of adults.” The Pope asked for “peace on earth to men and women of goodwill, who work quietly and patiently each day, in their families and in society, to build a more humane and just world, sustained by the conviction that only with peace is there the possibility of a more prosperous future for all”.
