‘Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem’: Pope Francis appeal for peace during Christmas Eve mass – as he decries ‘futile logic of war’ as conflict rages on in Gaza

The Pope called for peace today, kicking off Christmas celebrations with a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica as the war between Israel and Hamas raged in the Gaza Strip.

“Tonight our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once again rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of weapons that even today does not allow him to find a place in the world,” the Pope addressed some 6,500 faithful. who attended the traditional service.

Francis’ address never mentioned Israel or Gaza by name, but he made repeated references to violence and war, arguing that justice would not come “from a show of force.”

The pontiff said Jesus “redresses injustice not from above with a show of force, but from below with a show of love.”

“He doesn’t burst onto the stage with limitless power,” he said, speaking in Italian with official translation into seven languages.

Pope Francis leads the Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on December 24, 2023.

Pope Francis (right) greets a child during the midnight Christmas Mass in honor of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, December 24, 2023.

Pope Francis (right) leads the midnight Christmas Mass in honor of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, December 24, 2023.

Earlier today, during his weekly Angelus prayer, the Pope said that “we are close to our brothers and sisters who are suffering from war – we think about Palestine, Israel, Ukraine.”

On Christmas Day, the pontiff is expected to lead the traditional “Urbi e Orbi” prayer at 1100 GMT, during which he usually mentions conflicts around the world.

The new document explains a radical change in Vatican policy, insisting that believers seeking God’s love and mercy should not undergo “exhaustive moral analysis” to receive it.

The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 killed some 1,140 people, most of them civilians.

Pope Francis presides over Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Sunday, December 24, 2023.

Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, December 24, 2023.

Palestinian terrorists also kidnapped about 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.

Israel responded with sustained bombing and ground incursions into Gaza, where 20,424 people, mostly women and children, were killed, according to the latest figures from the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The pope has often condemned attacks on civilians in the ongoing conflict.