Pope Francis insisted, Friday, December 25, in his traditional Christmas Day message on "the need for fraternity" across the continents in this period of pandemic.

"At this historic moment, marked by the ecological crisis, and by serious economic and social imbalances aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic, we need fraternity more than ever," said the sovereign pontiff of Argentina.

He called for a concrete brotherhood, going beyond family, ethnicity, religion, language or culture.

"And this is also true in the relations between peoples and nations", insisted Jorge Bergoglio.

The dream of fraternity, a key theme of the pontificate of Pope Francis

This call for solidarity applies "especially to the most fragile people, the sick and all those who, in this period, found themselves without work or are in serious difficulty because of the economic consequences of the pandemic, as also towards women who, during these months of confinement, have suffered domestic violence ".

The dream of fraternity in the face of social-economic inequalities, often opposed to "neoliberal dogma", constitutes a flagship theme of nearly eight years of the pontificate of Pope Francis.

But he has become particularly present in his speeches since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, notably with the publication in October of a long plea in this direction, the encyclical "Fratelli tutti" (all brothers).

Finally, the Pope had a thought for the difficult reunion with his family, the opportunity for him to magnify the importance of it. 

"My thoughts are now with families: those who today cannot reunite, as well as those who are obliged to stay at home", he confided at the end of his message. 

"May Christmas be an opportunity for everyone to rediscover the family as the cradle of life and faith; a place of welcoming love, dialogue, forgiveness, fraternal solidarity and shared joy, source of peace for all humanity" , he added before wishing a "good Christmas to all!".

"Defuse tensions across the Middle East"

In his traditional overview of the conflicts of the planet, followed by the blessing "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world), the Pope also expressed the hope that Christmas "is conducive to defusing the tensions in everything. the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean ".

The faces of the children of Syria, Iraq or Yemen - who "pay a high price for war" - must "shake the consciences of men," Pope Francis pleaded on Friday.

The Pope recently announced his intention to visit Iraq in early March, his first trip abroad since the start of the pandemic, and a historic first for a sovereign pontiff.

He hoped Friday "a comfort to the Iraqi people and to all those who are committed on the path of reconciliation, in particular to Yazidis hard hit by the last years of war". 

Francis also had a thought for "the wounds of the beloved Syrian people who for ten years now have been exhausted by the war and its consequences, then aggravated by the pandemic".

"That Israelis and Palestinians can regain mutual trust to seek a just and lasting peace through direct dialogue capable of overcoming violence," the Pope also wished.

He further pleaded for "peace to Libya" within the framework of the ongoing negotiations and encouraged the international community to support the Lebanese people in great difficulty.

On Thursday the Pope had already sent a Christmas letter to the Lebanese, indicating that he intended to visit their country "as soon as possible".

With AFP

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