Vatican City [Italy], December 26: Pope Francis implored an end to all wars and weapon production in a Christmas message on Monday, warning that the interests of arms makers were moving the puppet strings of conflict.
The traditional papal blessing, Urbi et Orbi, urged the Catholics to say "'no' to war, to every war and to do so with courage, to the very mindset of war, an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly." "To say 'no' to war means saying 'no' to weaponry . And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?" he said.
The pope insisted that people who desired not weapons but bread had no idea how much of the public money was being spent on arms. He lamented the "hypocrisy and concealment" surrounding weapon deals that allowed violence and killing to take place amid deafening silence.
"It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet-strings of war," he added.
The pontiff said his heart grieved for the victims of the October 7 attack on Israel as well as for those killed in the Israeli military operation in Gaza. He called for humanitarian aid to flow to those in need and for a negotiated solution of the Palestinian statehood issue.
Pope Francis said his thoughts also went out to people in war-torn Syria and long-suffering Yemen and Lebanon. He called for peace in Ukraine and between Armenia and Azerbaijan, on the Korean Peninsula, in Africa's troubled Sahel region and the Horn of Africa, in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.
Continuing the theme of war, Pope Francis used powerful words to condemn abortion.
The head of 1.3 billion Catholics drew a comparison between abortions and the suffering of children in armed conflicts or as refugees.
"How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world? In their mothers' wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war," the 87-year-old said.
"They are the little Jesuses of today."The Argentinian has been the head of the Catholic Church for more than a decade and despite being liberal on some issues such as gay rights, he is known as a strict opponent of abortion. He previously described abortion as murder.
He remained seated during the speech. Francis has been suffering from health problems for some time, including a knee injury. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune