In his Christmas message “Urbi et Orbi”, Francis specifically mentioned the war in Ukraine and called for “the courage needed to open the door to negotiations”.
“Let the sound of weapons be silenced in war-torn Ukraine!” said the Pope, speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of thousands of people gathered in the square of the same name. He also called for “gestures of dialogue and meeting in order to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
Francis, who has been pope since 2013, was criticized by Ukrainian officials this year when he said that their country should have the courage of a “white flag” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously ruled out the possibility of peace talks without restoring Ukraine’s pre-war borders. But in the weeks since Donald Trump was re-elected as US president, Zelenskiy has increasingly shown a willingness to negotiate.
Earlier in December, Zelenskiy presented the idea of a diplomatic solution that would include the “freezing” of the current front lines and the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine. Russia demands that Ukraine give up its aspirations for NATO membership.
The 88-year-old Francis, who is celebrating his 12th Christmas in his pontificate, called for an end to all conflicts, political, social or military, in places like Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
He described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “extremely serious” and requested that “the door of dialogue and peace be opened wide”.
(Vijesti.ba / HINA)
