VATICAN CITY (AP) 鈥 Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged 鈥渁ll people of all nations鈥 to find courage during this Holy Year 鈥渢o silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions鈥 plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.
The pontiff's 鈥淯rbi et Orbi鈥 鈥 鈥淭o the City and the World鈥 鈥 address serves as a summary of the woes facing the world this year. As Christmas coincided with the start of the that he dedicated to hope, Francis called for broad reconciliation, 鈥渆ven (with) our enemies.鈥
"I invite every individual, and all people of all nations ... to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions,'' the pope said from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to throngs of people below.
The pope invoked the Holy Door of St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica, which he opened on Christmas Eve to launch the 2025 Jubilee, as representing God鈥檚 mercy, which 鈥渦nties every knot; it tears down every wall of division; it dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge.鈥
He called for arms to be silenced in war-torn Ukraine and in the Middle East, singling out Christian communities in Israel and the Palestinian territories, 鈥減articularly in Gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave,鈥 as well as Lebanon and Syria 鈥渁t this most delicate time.鈥
Francis repeated his calls for the release of hostages taken from Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
He cited a deadly outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the suffering of the people of Myanmar, forced to flee their homes by 鈥渢he ongoing clash of arms.鈥 The pope likewise remembered children suffering from war and hunger, the elderly living in solitude, those fleeing their homelands, who have lost their jobs, and are persecuted for their faith.
Pilgrims were lined up on Christmas Day to walk through the great Holy Door at the entrance of St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica, as the Jubilee is expected to bring some to Rome.
Traversing the Holy Door is one way that the faithful can obtain indulgences, or forgiveness for sins during a Jubilee, a once-every-quarter-century tradition that dates from 1300.
Pilgrims submitted to security controls before entering the Holy Door, amid new security fears following Many paused to touch the door as they passed and made the sign of the cross upon entering the basilica dedicated to St. Peter, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church.
鈥淵ou feel so humble when you go through the door that once you go through is almost like a release, a release of emotions,'' said Blanca Martin, a pilgrim from San Diego. "... It鈥檚 almost like a release of emotions, you feel like now you are able to let go and put everything in the hands of God. See I am getting emotional. It鈥檚 just a beautiful experience.鈥
A Chrismukkah miracle as Hanukkah and Christmas coincide
Hanukkah, , begins this year on Christmas Day,
The calendar confluence has inspired some religious leaders to host interfaith gatherings, such as a Hanukkah party hosted last week by several Jewish organizations in Houston, Texas, bringing together members of the city鈥檚 Latino and Jewish communities for latkes, the traditional potato pancake eaten on Hanukkah, topped with guacamole and salsa.
While Hanukkah is intended as an upbeat, celebratory holiday, rabbis note that it鈥檚 taking place this year as wars rage in the Middle East and fears rise over widespread . The holidays overlap infrequently because the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and is not in sync with the Gregorian calendar, which sets Christmas on Dec. 25. The last time Hanukkah began on Christmas Day was in 2005.
Iraqi Christians persist in their faith
Christians in Nineveh Plains attended Christmas Mass on Tuesday at the Mar Georgis church in the center of Telaskaf, Iraq, with security concerns about the future. 鈥淲e feel that they will pull the rug out from under our feet at any time. Our fate is unknown here,鈥 said Bayda Nadhim, a resident of Telaskaf.
Iraq鈥檚 Christians, whose presence there goes back nearly to the time of Christ, belong to a number of rites and denominations. They once constituted a sizeable minority in Iraq, estimated at around 1.4 million.
But the community has steadily dwindled since the 2003 US-led invasion and further in 2014 when the Islamic State militant group swept through the area. The exact number of Christians left in Iraq is unclear, but they are thought to number several hundred thousand.
German celebrations muted by market attack
German celebrations were darkened by a car attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday that left five people dead, including a 9-year-old boy, and 200 people injured. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier rewrote his recorded Christmas Day speech to address the attack, saying that 鈥渢here is grief, pain, horror and incomprehension over what took place in Magdeburg.鈥 He urged Germans to 鈥渟tand together鈥 and that 鈥渉ate and violence must not have the last word.鈥
A 50-year-old Saudi doctor who had practiced medicine in Germany since 2006 was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm. The suspect鈥檚 X account describes him as a former Muslim and is filled with anti-Islamic themes. He criticized authorities for failing to combat 鈥渢he Islamification of Germany鈥 and voiced support for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
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Barry reported from Milan. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem, Rashid Yehya in Teleskaf, Iraq and David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany contributed to this report.
