Pope Francis called this Saturday for “dialogue” in the face of the “temptation to withdraw into oneself” during his Christmas greetings.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, "our ability to maintain social relationships is strained," he said in front of hundreds of worshipers.

The Sovereign Pontiff also spoke of the “forgotten” conflicts in the world: Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Burma, Ethiopia, Sudan, Sahel… “We still see a lot of conflicts, crises and contradictions that never seem to having to finish, and we hardly notice them any more, […] we are used to it, ”he regretted.

As the announcement of the Savior's birth, the source of true peace, resonates around the world, we still see many conflicts, crises, and contradictions.

We implore God to arouse in the hearts of each one desires for reconciliation and fraternity.

- Pope Francis (@Pontifex_fr) December 25, 2021

A prayer for abused children

Among all the countries cited, the 85-year-old Pope insisted on the "immense tragedies" playing out in Syria and Yemen, with "numerous victims and an incalculable number of refugees".

"We hear the cry of children rising from Yemen where a terrible tragedy has been unfolding in silence for years, causing deaths every day", launched the sovereign of the Vatican.

He also called "not to let the metastases of a gangrenous conflict spread" in Ukraine, and mentioned Burma "where intolerance and violence affect" Christians and places of worship.

The Pope prayed for women victims of gender-based violence and children and adolescents "victims of harassment and abuse", at the end of a year 2021 marked by child crime scandals in the Church.

Criticizing "indifference" to the "tragedy of migrants", Pope Francis called for "necessary treatments", including vaccines, to reach the poor.

This speech represented the first urbi et orbi blessing celebrated in St. Peter's Square since the start of the pandemic.

In 2020, the Pope read his message in the palace because of the health restrictions.

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