Pope Francis today expressed hope that next Christmas will bring “a ray of peace” to wars around the world, especially in Ukraine, at the end of the Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace.
“I invite you to pray before the nativity scene so that Christmas will bring a ray of peace to the children of the whole world, especially those who are forced to endure the terrible and dark days of war, this war in Ukraine, which devastating so many lives and so many children,” said the faithful who listened to him in St. Peter’s Square, quoted by Efe.
The pope also blessed the figures of infant Jesus carried by children to Vatican Square, a Christmas tradition begun in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
Francis is concerned about the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s Russia on February 24, and his calls for peace have been unceasing, even offering the mediation of the Holy See to resolve the conflict.
On Thursday, Pope Francis was visibly moved to remember the victims of this war, during the tribute to the Immaculate Conception, in Rome’s Plaza de España.
Source: DN
