Pope Francis on December 25 called for dialogue amid a "tendency to withdraw" during the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 5.3 million people worldwide in just over two years and is now in one of its worst phases as the omicron variant rages around the world.
"On the international level too, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue...Yet only those paths can lead to the resolution of conflicts and to lasting benefits for all," he said during his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing and message to the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square.
The pope cautioned against fresh violence in the long-simmering conflict in Ukraine amid rising tensions between Russia and Western countries, which accuse Moscow of having massed around 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders in a possible prelude to an invasion.
"In Ukraine, prevent fresh outbreaks of a long-festering conflict," the pope said in his Christmas Day message to the faithful gathered at St Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Pope Francis also said that "immense tragedies" in conflict-torn Syria, Yemen, and Iraq were "being passed over in silence.”
The Pope will celebrate Christmas Mass at 7:30 p.m. local time, the same time as last year when a 10 p.m. curfew was in effect. The Vatican will check temperatures of worshipers as they enter St. Peter's Basilica and require everyone to wear a mask and observe social distancing.
Last year the pope called for coronavirus vaccines to be made available to the world’s neediest people. He said then it was a time of “darkness and uncertainty regarding the pandemic,” which by then had killed 1.7 million people worldwide.
Pope Francis on December 24 called for more solidarity with those living in poverty as he celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in front of a masked congregation of around 2,000 people.
As he spoke, surging coronavirus cases around the world put a damper on Christmas Eve for a second year, forcing churches to cancel or scale back services, disrupting holiday travel plans, and requiring people to once again comply with mask mandates.