Pope Leo XIV has used his first Christmas Day sermon to denounce the harsh living conditions facing Palestinians in Gaza, drawing a direct link between the biblical story of Jesus’ birth in a stable and the tents now sheltering displaced families. He asked how people could not think of Gaza’s makeshift shelters, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold.
Leo, the first pope from the United States, usually keeps his Christmas homilies focused on spiritual themes but made an unusually pointed appeal on the situation in Gaza this year. He has repeatedly said that any lasting solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict must include the creation of a Palestinian state.
The pope noted that, despite a ceasefire agreed in October between Israel and Hamas after two years of intense Israeli military operations, humanitarian groups say too little aid is reaching Gaza and nearly the entire population has been left homeless. He also lamented the plight of homeless people worldwide and the destruction left by wars in many regions.
Leo described the “fragile” condition of defenceless civilians living amid rubble and “open wounds” of conflict and highlighted the suffering of young people forced into combat, who face death because of the decisions of those who send them to the front lines.
During his later “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he called for an end to wars around the world. He mentioned conflicts and crises in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, urging dialogue, reconciliation and the restoration of peace.
On Ukraine, where Russian forces are threatening key eastern cities, Leo said people had been “tormented” by prolonged violence and appealed for the guns to fall silent. For Thailand and Cambodia, where recent border clashes have killed at least 80 people, he asked that their “ancient friendship” be renewed to allow genuine reconciliation.
The pope also raised concerns about migrants and refugees crossing the American continent, linking their suffering to the broader call for compassion and protection for the vulnerable. He did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump by name, though he has previously criticised his immigration crackdown.
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