In Christmas message, Pope Francis appeals to end ‘senseless’ Russia-Ukraine war

Delivering his Christmas message on Sunday from St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Pope Francis called for ending the "senseless" war between Russia and Ukraine.The 86-year-old pope further warned that the ongoing war has aggravated food shortage in the world, and appealed to the leaders not to use "food as a weapon” for war.

The Catholic Church's head was addressing the faithful gathered in huge numbers in St Peter's Square, a few of them carrying Ukrainian flags, before he delivered the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing ("to the city and the world").

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Pope Francis has repeatedly appealed for peace since Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February, criticising the war but trying to maintain delicate dialogue with Russia.

Speaking from the central balcony at St Peter's, the pope recalled, "Our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are experiencing this Christmas in the dark and cold, far from their homes."

He said, "May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war!"

"Tragically, we prefer to heed other counsels, dictated by worldly ways of thinking,"he added, recalling "with sorrow" that "the icy winds of war continue to buffet humanity".

"Our time is experiencing a grave famine of peace also in other regions and other theatres of this third world war," Pope Francis added.

He also talked about other countries facing difficult times during Christmas, whether because of internal conflict or crisis like Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Haiti.

Pope France, for the first time, also appealed for "reconciliation" in Iran, which is witnessing protests led by women for the last three months.

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He asked everyone celebrating Christmas to remember the people "who go hungry while huge amounts of food daily go to waste and resources are being spent on weapons".

"The war in Ukraine has further aggravated this situation, putting entire peoples at risk of famine, especially in Afghanistan and in the countries of the Horn of Africa. We know that every war causes hunger and exploits food as a weapon, hindering its distribution to people already suffering,” Pope Francis said.

"On this day, let us learn from the Prince of Peace (Jesus Christ) and, starting with those who hold political responsibilities, commit ourselves to making food solely an instrument of peace,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)