Pope Francis calls for Gaza ceasefire in Christmas message • FRANCE 24 English

Yes indeed I mean this as you mentioned is his urbet or the message to the city of Rome and to the world uh one which he does every Christmas and every Easter and generally he touches on situations of conflict and strife uh people who are suffering around the world to pray for

Them and also to bless those people that are present right now at St Peter square and he began his uh message today uh talking about the eyes and hearts of the global Christian chrisan Community all turning to Bethlehem of course that is the place of the birth of Jesus which is

The point of Christmas to celebrate his birth but he said these days that’s a place filled with sorrow and silence so really starting his message talking about the situation in the Middle East we heard him in his homy at the Christmas Eve service in sight St Peters

Basilica uh on Christmas Eve uh talking about how you mentioned uh that the message of peace of Jesus is being rejected uh by a futile logic of War now Pope Francis has made it very clear at several points in time repeating his call for a ceasefire repeating his call

For release of the hostages uh repeating his call for an end to the violence and the death of the Innocents that are being affected uh in this uh War uh in Gaza and so uh clearly uh for the Christian Community there as well uh his eyes and hearts and prayers on the

Community uh within that area uh uh of the Middle East now every uh U at ore he always talks about Hope For Greater peace in the Holy Land but I think the message this year of course having greater uh significance in light of the violence there now a lot of the time

That you and I speak sea and you’re on the program we talk a lot about the Pope’s Health we’re looking at life pitures at the moment he and yesterday as well he seems to be in you know good order at least to able to be delivering the addresses can he also talk about

Something that’s become an increasingly divisive issue within the church this recent Vatican formal definitive permission given for Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples tell us about that yes I mean these are some of the reforms that the pope is very uh uh uh pushing through uh his agenda uh for

Reforms of the justice system and perhaps some would say uh to modernize the church this is an 87y old pontiff he turned 87 earlier this month uh he has mobility issues he’s delivering his speeches delivering what he his messages but we’ve seen him in a wheelchair uh

Very much uh uh these days even last night at that uh Christmas Eve service uh he had an operation on his knee last year we also know that he had part of his colon removed in another operation because of some uh difficult bowel conditions he’s clearly had a slightly

Slower Pace but that said we saw him travel to France earlier this year to Mongolia he had to unfortunately cancel a trip to Dubai uh to attend the the cop environment conference uh but that was because his doctors advised him against it because of a flu uh we do know he has

Respiratory issues but all of that said this 87y old man still very much pushing ahead with his role as the head of the Catholic church and pushing his role Within reforms uh within the church and yes as you mentioned earlier this month uh the idea that same-sex couples can

Receive blessings uh by priests this he made it clear though that this is not to say that marriage is no longer a Sacrament between a man and a woman that continues within the Catholic church but he’s very clearly trying to modernize the church now some conservatives within

The church uh may not be happy about that uh talking about how this may create a Schism within the church between those that believe in more conservative traditional ideas but it was interesting to note in his address to the Roman curier for Christmas uh just a couple of days ago he talked

About rigid ideological positions preventing us from moving forward so clearly wanting to push through his message about the church needing to modernize

Pope Francis on Monday deplored the desperate humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire and the freeing of hostages in his Christmas message. FRANCE 24’s Seema Gupta reports.

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25 comments

  7. What does he knows! His ancestors were the ones who tortured Christians in the dark ages from 538AD to 1798, why does he mentioned that in his speech? His accomplice were the Rochchilds and the Jesuits who were responsible for sinking the Titanic because rich men on that ship were not agreed on the Central Bank. They ordered captain Smith to sink it!That's true and facts!

  13. f the Pope really meant what he said he and his cardinals would go to Gaza, stand in the middle of it all, and demand that the fighting stop. If he's not willing to risk his life in this, then all his words are nothing buy hot air.

  17. I greatly respect his positive stance on human rights, and his bravely bringing the Roman Catholic Church closer to the Biblical teachings of Jesus Christ. Isn't "modernizing the religion" by bringing it closer to Love, to God, what the Bible showed Jesus doing?
    I'd call upon His Holiness, Pope Francis, to put an Interdict on the State of Israel, and to excommunicate any Catholic opposing a Ceasefire, but I'm not a Catholic. He's done plenty, more than I expected from a Pope, so blessings to him and to those who heed Love, Kindness, and Truth!

  19. This is the first time I disagree with the Pope he needs to stay out of the war and it’s decisions however the Pope has been misguided and misleading lately in the things he has been approving , accepting, and saying the wrong things. A ceasefire is unacceptable it is telling Israel to surrender to the wicked and demonic terrorists Hamas it is approving the evil massacre they committed in October 7, come on Pope don’t tell me you are being influenced by the devil you need to repent and stay out of the war between Israel and Hamas.Someone needs to show the Pope videos of the massacre that Hamas committed in Israel.

  20. James Jesus Angleton. Cut his teeth in Italy playing go between for the COI/OSS and the Vatican. He later set up some “programs” at the fledgling University of Jerusalem. Was head of the CIA.
    Wow. Simply wow

  25. OCTOGENARIAN FROM ARGENTINA IS ACTIVELY ENGAGING FOR HAMAS TERRORISTS BUT TOTALLY SILENT ON CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE IN AFRICA BY ISLAMISTS! HE WANTS TO FILL EUROPE WITH JIHADIS IN THE GARB OF REFUGEES😂😂

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