Pope Francis is calling for “silence of arms” around the world, calling for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan in his Christmas address while condemning the “sad” situation in Gaza.
He used his traditional message to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics on Wednesday to call for peace talks in Ukraine as the country was rocked by 170 Russian missiles and drones on Christmas morning in what Kyiv called “inhumane”.
In his unflinching voice, the 88-year-old pope also called for an end to the war in Gaza and for the release of Israeli prisoners held there by Hamas.
In Sednaya, Syria, a large crowd gathered near a famous monastery at Christmas time to watch the lighting of a tall tree decorated with green lights.
The celebration provided a moment of rare joy in a city that was scarred by more than ten years of war and its infamous prison, where tens of thousands of people were kept and tortured. Families and friends stood by the lighted tree – some wearing Santa hats, others watching from rooftops – as a band played festive tunes and fireworks lit up the sky.
Meanwhile, snow in the Balkans snarled drivers and brought down power lines on Tuesday, but others saw the beauty.
“I'm happy to fall,” rider Mirsad Jasarevic said in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. “We didn't have snow at Christmas for 17 years here, and this is the time for a wonderful white Christmas.”