“I once again make this appeal to all people of good will: that, at least on the feast of the birth of the Savior, one day of peace may be respected,” the first American pontiff said Tuesday. In his address, which took place in a year in which Christmas coincided with the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebration, Francis urged “people of all nations” to “silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions.” Popes have called for peace during Christmas for hundreds of years, but the tradition was cemented in the modern era by Pope Benedict XV, who in 1914 as World War I raged in Europe, urged a temporary truce to honor the holiday.
Author: Chris Nesi
Published at: 2025-12-24 20:32:57
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