Pope Calls for 'Peace for Jerusalem' in Christmas Address
Pope Francis, flanked by Master of Ceremonies Bishop Guido Marini, waves to faithful during the Urbi et Orbi Christmas' day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Dec. 25, 2017.
Pope Francis used his traditional Christmas message to call for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to help bring peace to the Middle East.
Pope Francis said in his "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and to the World") address from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica that children in the Middle East continue to suffer because of "growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians."
He expressed his hope to tens of thousands of worshipers at the Vatican that the "will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two states".
This was the second time that the pope spoke about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since U.S. President Donald Trump's decision earlier this month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Pope Francis called earlier for the "status quo" in Jerusalem to be respected to avoid new tensions in the Middle East.
Palestinians dressed as Santa Claus confront Israeli border police during a protest in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Dec. 23, 2017.
The pope Monday also prayed that confrontation could be overcome on the Korean peninsula, saying he hoped "mutual trust may increase in the interest of the world as a whole."
In addition, Pope Francis used his message to speak about sufferings around the world, including conflicts in South Sudan, Iraq, Yemen, Ukraine and Venezuela. He spoke of his recent trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh and called for adequate protection of the dignity of minority groups in the region.
The pope urged people to see Jesus in children who are suffering in conflicts around the world. "The winds of war are blowing in our world and an outdated model of development continues to produce human, societal and environmental decline,'' he said.
Pope Francis leads the Christmas Eve Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Dec. 24, 2017.
Christmas Eve Mass
During his Christmas Eve Mass on Sunday, attended by about 10,000 people inside and outside of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis strongly defended migrants, comparing them to Mary and Joseph finding no place to stay in Bethlehem, saying that faith demands that foreigners be embraced and calling for a "new social imagination."
The pope urged the world's more than 1.2 billion Catholics not to ignore the plight of migrants who are "driven from their land" because of leaders willingness to shed "innocent blood".
IN PICTURES: Christmas Celebrations Around the World
Christmas Celebrations Around the World
1/14Pope Francis waves to faithful during the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for ' to the city and to the world') Christmas' day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Dec. 25, 2017.
2/14Clergymen attend a Christmas midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Dec. 25, 2017.
3/14Belarusian children perform in a Catholic church in the town of Dyatlovo, Belarus, Dec. 25, 2017.
4/14Pakistani police stand guard at a church during the Christmas Day mass in Lahore, Dec. 25, 2017.
5/14Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, center, with Prince Philip, right, leave following the traditional Christmas Day church service, at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Dec. 25, 2017.
6/14An Indian girl prays during the midnight Christmas Mass at Saint Joseph's Cathedral in Lucknow, India, Dec. 25, 2017.
7/14President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump speak on the phone with children as they track Santa Claus' movements with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 24, 2017.
8/14Iraqi Christians light candles after a Christmas Eve Mass in St. Joseph's Church in Baghdad, Dec. 24, 2017.
9/14A man dressed as Santa Claus gives a present to a child at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Dec. 25, 2017.
10/14A worshiper prays inside the Church of the Nativity, built atop the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, Dec. 24, 2017.
11/14People attend Christmas Eve Mass at a church in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto.
12/14A man decorates a 210 feet-long (64 meters) cake during Christmas celebrations at a consumer fair in Chandigarh, India, Dec. 25, 2017.
13/14Members of the Berliner Seehunde (Berlin seals) swimming club take a bath at the lake Oranke during their traditional Christmas swim in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 25, 2017.
14/14Egyptians look at Santa Claus toys in a shop as the capital is on high security alert on the Christmas eve in Cairo, Dec. 24, 2017.
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