The spiritual head of the Catholic Church and sovereign head of Vatican City, Pope Francis criticized war manufacturers and called for the end of violence around the world, paying particular attention to Gaza.
Pope Francis’ remarks from St. Peter’s Basilica focused on Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, speaking of the biblical story of Herod the Great who, according to the Bible, ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of two in hopes of killing baby Jesus.
“We see this played out in Bethlehem, where the birth of the Saviour is followed by the slaughter of the innocents. How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertake in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today, these little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war.”
The head Catholic official in Bethlehem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, canceled Christmas celebrations in the city in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who are under bombardment by Israeli military forces. More than 8,000 children have been killed in Gaza.
Pope Francis then called out weapon manufacturers, noting that you cannot be opposed to war without opposing weapons.
“To say ‘no’ to war means saying ‘no’ to weaponry. The human heart is weak and impulsive; if we find instruments of death in our hands, sooner or later we will use them. And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise? … How much violence and killing takes place amid deafening silence, unbeknownst to many!” Pope Francis told the gathered crowd. “Yet that is something they ought to know! It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet-strings of war.”
Pope Francis called for a future when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation” and called for the return of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack and the end of military operations in Gaza and Israel’s “appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims.”
The Pope also implored the world to push for peace in Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen before also mentioning conflicts and rising tensions in several areas of Africa.
Pope Francis has attempted to push for peace negotiations in both Ukraine and Palestine throughout the conflicts.