The speech will be made to thousands of faithful in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City. Pope Francis must address his traditional message "urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and to the world, in Latin) on Wednesday, December 25, on the occasion of his seventh Christmas as sovereign pontiff. On this occasion, he will carry out a broad overview of the conflict zones.
This blessing returns twice a year, at Easter and Christmas, the two most important holidays in the Catholic religion.
In the previous one, on April 21, the Pope expressed his "sadness" after the attacks in Sri Lanka which left more than 250 dead and nearly 500 injured, and also called for "the arms to cease 'bloody Libya', where the civil war was experiencing a renewed intensity.
"Unconditional" and "free" love
Eight months later, these countries remain mired in deadly conflicts and could again be cited by the leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide.
In the Philippines, one of the most fervent countries in Catholicism, many victims should listen to the pope's message. Typhoon Phanfone, which swept through the center of the archipelago, caused major damage there on Wednesday.
During his traditional Christmas homily Tuesday evening, the Argentinian had emphasized "unconditional" and "free" love in the face of market logic. "Christmas reminds us that God continues to love everyone, even the worst," he said while celebrating Christmas night mass in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
In addition to Tuesday's papal service, the traditional Christmas mass was also celebrated in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ according to Christian tradition, a city located in the Palestinian Territories.
The festivities are marked this year by the return to the Holy Land of what is considered to be a first fragment of the cradle of Jesus, a gift from Pope Francis who was received in Jerusalem and then transferred with great fanfare in late November to Bethlehem, after 1 300 years in Europe.
With AFP
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