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Pope Leo XIV celebrated the first Christmas since his election by denouncing the suffering of people of Gaza@taking shelter in tents from the grain, wind and coldh@and by calling for the guns to fall silent in Ukraine.
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On Christmas Day, the first US-born pope, offered the traditional gUrbi et Orbih blessing (gTo the City and to the Worldh) from the balcony of St Peterfs, surveying a world speckled with conflicts from Yemen to Myanmar, and calling for compassion towards those who have fled their homelands to seek a future in Europe and America.
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Leo, who was elected on May 8, said Thursday that Jesus Christ is gour peaceh because he gshows us the way to overcome conflicts, whether interpersonal or international. With his grace, we can and must each day our part to reject hatred, violence and opposition, and to practice dialogue, peace and reconciliation.h
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The pontiff began by asking for gjustice, peace and stabilityh for Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Syria. Later, he said that, by becoming man, gJesus took upon himself our fragility,h allowing him to identify gwith those who have nothing left and have lost everything, like the inhabitants of Gaza.h
Leo celebrates Christmas Holy Mass at the Vatican.
Leo celebrates Christmas Holy Mass at the Vatican. Yara Nardi/Reuters
Leo holds an incent burner at St Peter's Basilica.
Leo holds an incent burner at St Peter's Basilica. Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
The popefs first Christmas since his election took place in wet and cold conditions, but that failed to deter large crowds from coming out to hear his message.
Earlier during Mass, he asked how, at Christmas, gcan we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold.h With more than 400,000 homes destroyed during Israelfs war against Hamas, Gazans are being forced to choose this winter between living in tents exposed to the elements or living inside buildings that could collapse any minute.
gFragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,h Leo said. He quoted an Israeli poet, Yehuda Amichai, who called for peace to blossom glike wildflowers.h
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Later during his Christmas message, he called for compassion towards those gwho are fleeing their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, like the many refugees and migrants who cross the Mediterranean or traverse the American continent.h He offered Christmas greetings in different languages including Italian, English, Arabic, Chinese, Polish.
Since his election, Leo has highlighted the plight of those suffering of those in Gaza, and has been outspoken by calling for the better treatment of migrants. In his first major interview in September, the American pope voiced concern over gsome thingsh happening in the country of his birth, highlighting the significance of a letter his predecessor, Pope Francis, had sent to US bishops earlier this year, rebuking the administrationfs deportation plans.
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