Pope Francis called for “silencing the guns” in Ukraine after a “senseless war”, in his traditional Christmas message from the Vatican on Sunday, in which the sovereign pontiff again mentioned the “third world war”, according to the international press. agencies

“Let our gaze turn to the faces of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are living this Christmas in the dark, in the cold and far from their homes due to the destruction caused by 10 months of war,” Pope Francis addressed thousands of people. believers gathered on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

“May the Lord help us to be ready for concrete gestures of solidarity to help those who are suffering, and may He enlighten the spirit of those who have the power to silence the guns and immediately stop this senseless war,” he added. The Vatican leader who has been relentlessly advocating for peace since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

“Unfortunately, they prefer to listen to other arguments dictated by world politics,” the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church lamented, noting “with sadness that the wind of war continues to spread cold over humanity.”

Before giving his traditional Christmas blessing of “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”), Pope Francis gave his usual survey of conflicts around the world, naming ten countries affected by the violence or tensions he described. as “theaters of the third world war”.

Among the countries mentioned are Afghanistan, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, as well as Lebanon, which has suffered from an economic and social crisis, as well as Haiti, where more than 1,400 people have died this year as a result of violence. to the UN

For the first time, Pope Francis also mentioned Iran, which has been hit by an unprecedented wave of protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Demonstrations have led to the arrest of around 14,000 people since mid-September in Iran, according to the data, born out of demands for women’s rights. UN, and 469 protesters were killed, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization (IHR).

The Vatican leader also asked that food no longer be used “as a weapon”, referring in particular to the conflicts affecting the Horn of Africa.

“Any war causes hunger and uses food as a weapon, preventing its distribution among a population that is already suffering,” lamented the sovereign pontiff. Pope Francis called on humanity to fight “so that food becomes only an instrument of peace” (Source: Agerpres)