Pope Leo condemns living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza
In his Christmas homily, Pope Leo condemned the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, saying that refusing aid to the poor was tantamount to rejecting God.
Pope Leo condemned the plight of Palestinians in Gaza during his Christmas homily, an unusual direct appeal to the Palestinians in what is normally a solemn spiritual service on the day Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus.
America’s first pope, Leo, said the story of Jesus’ birth in a stable shows that God “pitched a fragile tent” among people around the world.
“So why can’t we think about the tents in Gaza that have been exposed to rain, wind and cold for weeks?” he asked.
Leo, who is celebrating his first Christmas since being elected by the world’s cardinals in May to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor, typically refraining from political references in his sermons.
The Pope, who has made concern for immigrants a central theme early in his papacy, later lamented the situation of immigrants and refugees “traversing the Americas” in his Christmas blessing.
Leo has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration in the past, but he did not mention Trump. In his Christmas Eve homily on Wednesday, the pope said refusing to help the poor and strangers was tantamount to rejecting God himself.
Leo denounces war’s ‘rubble and open wounds’
The new pope has lamented the situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip several times in recent days, telling journalists last month that the only solution to the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people requires the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of heavy Israeli shelling and military operations following a deadly attack on an Israeli community by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023. Humanitarian groups say aid supplies are still too low for Gaza, where nearly the entire population is homeless.
At Thursday’s service, which drew thousands of people in St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo also lamented the situation of homelessness around the world and the destruction caused by the wars that are roiling the world.
“The bodies of defenseless peoples are fragile and have been tested by many wars, ongoing or concluded, which have left behind rubble and open wounds,” the Pope said.
“The hearts and lives of young people who are forced to take up arms are fragile. On the front lines, they feel the meaninglessness of what is being asked of them and the falsehoods filled with pompous speeches from those who are driving them to their deaths,” he said.
Pope laments conflicts in Ukraine, Thailand, Cambodia
On Thursday, in the Pope’s “Urbi e Orbi” (Cities and World) message and blessing for Christmas and Easter, Leo called for an end to all world wars.
Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to a crowd of thousands gathered in the square below, he lamented the political, social and military conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and elsewhere.
Mr Leo said the people of Ukraine were “suffering” from the violence as Russian forces threatened cities important to the country’s eastern defenses.
“May the cries of arms cease, and may the parties concerned find the courage to engage in honest, direct and respectful dialogue, with the support and commitment of the international community,” the Pope said.
Mr Leo called on Thailand and Cambodia to restore their “old friendship” and “work towards reconciliation and peace” as the border conflict enters its third week, leaving at least 80 people dead.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Peter Graff)
