Pope Francis blasts the weapons industry, appeals for peace in Christmas message

Pope Francis on Monday blasted the weapons industry and its “instruments of death” that fuel wars, as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace on the planet and specifically between Israel and the Palestinians.

Speaking from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to the throngs of individuals below, Francis said he grieved the “abominable attack” of Hamas against southern Israel on Oct. 7 and called for the release of hostages. And he begged for an end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the “appalling harvest of innocent civilians” as he called for humanitarian aid to achieve those in need.

Francis devoted his Christmas Day blessing to a call for peace on the planet, noting that the biblical story of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem sent a message of peace. But he said that Bethlehem “is a spot of sorrow and silence” this yr.

“My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of seven October, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage,” he said through the “Urbi and Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) blessing. “I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for an answer to the desperate humanitarian situation by a gap to the supply of humanitarian aid.”

Francis’ annual “Urbi et Orbi” speech typically offers a lament of all of the misery facing the world, and this yr’s edition was no different. From Armenia and Azerbaijan to Syria and Yemen, Ukraine to South Sudan and Congo and the Korean peninsula, Francis appealed for humanitarian initiatives, dialogue and security to prevail over violence and death.

He called for governments and folks of goodwill within the Americas specifically to handle the “troubling phenomenon” of migration and its “unscrupulous traffickers” who reap the benefits of innocents just on the lookout for a greater life.

He took particular aim on the weapons industry, which he said was fueling the conflicts across the globe with scarcely anyone being attentive.

“It ought to be talked about and written about, in order to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet strings of war,” he said. “And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?”

Francis has ceaselessly blasted the weapons industry as “merchants of death” and has said that wars today, in Ukraine, specifically, are getting used to check out latest weapons or use up old stockpiles.

He called for peace between Israel and Palestinians, and for the conflict to be resolved “through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community.” 

The devastating conflict within the Middle East was a theme of his comments on Christmas Eve, as well, when the pontiff said, “Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is over again rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room on the planet.”

Pope Francis, who’s 87 years old and has struggled with a lot of health issues, including a recent bout with what the Vatican described as “lung inflammation,” used a wheelchair during parts of his Christmas events on the Vatican.