Pope Francis said in his annual Vatican Christmas message that the world is suffering from a “famine of peace”. He called for an end to the “senseless war” in Ukraine and condemned the “use of food as a weapon of war.” This is the 10th Christmas speech by Pope Francis since he took office. While the war in Ukraine dominated his 10-minute speech, he spoke of “a severe famine for peace in other regions and other arenas of this third world war.”. His focus has been on conflicts and humanitarian crises in the Middle East, Myanmar, Haiti, and the Sahel of Africa.
The pope also prayed for “reconciliation” in Iran, where large-scale anti-government protests have swept the country for more than three months, according to a human rights group, led by a crackdown that killed 69 children. More than 500 of them died, including On the cathedral’s balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, the 86-year-old pope lamented the human toll of war. He urged us not to forget those who “starve while vast amounts of food are wasted and resources are spent on weapons every day.”
“The war in Ukraine has exacerbated this situation, putting entire populations at risk of starvation, especially in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa,” he said. “We know that all wars create hunger and food weapons that prevent the distribution of food to people who are already suffering. The Pope said “politically responsible” should find a way to make food “exclusively an instrument of peace”.
