In his Christmas message delivered today from the Vatican, Pope Francis emphasized the need for the reunification of Cyprus.
“May the Jubilee be an opportunity to tear down all walls of separation: the ideological walls that so often mark political life, and also physical walls, such as the division that has affected the island of Cyprus for fifty years now and has rent its human and social fabric.
It is my hope that a mutually agreed solution will be found, a solution that can put an end to the division in full respect for the rights and dignity of all the Cypriot communities,” said Pope Francis, addressing the faithful.
The Pope simultaneously called for the silencing of weapons in the Middle East, specifically mentioning “the dear community in Gaza” and expressing his solidarity with Christians living in Israel and Palestine.
He reiterated his call for the release of the Israeli hostages and for humanitarian aid to reach the exhausted civilian population.
The Pontiff expressed solidarity with the Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria and called for dialogue across the wider region, “devastated by conflict,” while encouraging the people of Libya to “seek solutions that enable national reconciliation.”
At the same time, Pope Francis addressed Ukraine, emphasizing:
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
As in previous years, the Pontiff placed particular emphasis on the African continent. He expressed his solidarity with the people of Congo, Mali, the Horn of Africa, and Sudan, among others.
Referring to Latin America, he called for “effective solutions to be found as soon as possible, in justice and truth, to promote social harmony, particularly in Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, and Nicaragua.”
“Brothers and sisters, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to forgive debts, especially those that burden the poorest countries. Each of us is called to forgive those who have trespassed against us, because the Son of God, born in the cold and darkness of the night, has forgiven our own. He came to heal us and forgive us,” Pope Francis said.
