The first thought of Pope Francis in the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing is addressed to Ukraine : "May our gaze be filled with the faces of Ukrainian brothers and sisters who live this Christmas in the dark, in the cold or far from their homes, cause of the destruction caused by ten months of war. May the Lord make us ready for concrete gestures of solidarity to help those who are suffering, and enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war! Unfortunately, we prefer to listen to other reasons, dictated by the logic of the world. But the voice of the Child, who listens to it?».
The Pontiff also referred to the wheat crisis : "Let us think of the people who suffer from hunger, especially children, while every day large quantities of food are wasted and resources are spent on arms", he said, recalling that the war in Ukraine it is leaving "entire populations at risk of famine, especially in Afghanistan and in the countries of the Horn of Africa".
And there is not only war in Ukraine, the Pope warned: " Our time is experiencing a serious lack of peace in other regions as well, in other theaters of this third world war ".
Bergoglio mentioned Syria, "still tormented by a conflict that has faded into the background but is not over yet", Lebanon, Yemen, the "political and social tensions in the American continent , I am thinking in particular of the Haitian population who have been suffering for so long ».
And again Iran and Myanmar, the hope of a reconciliation in the Holy Land «where violence and clashes have increased in recent months, with deaths and injuries. We implore the Lord that there, in the land that saw his birth, dialogue and the search for mutual trust between Israelis and Palestinians resume".
The Pope invites the powerful of the world to strip themselves of all those "ballasts" that prevent them from finding a way to peace: « Attachment to power and money, pride, hypocrisy, lies. These burdens - Pope Francis said in the traditional 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing - prevent people from going to Bethlehem, exclude them from the grace of Christmas and close off access to the path of peace . And indeed, we must sadly note that, while the Prince of Peace is being given to us, the winds of war continue to blow icy on humanity".
(Unioneonline/L)