Pope Francis prays for Peace on Earth

Pope Francis peace on earthPope Francis delivers "urbi et orbi" according to tradition (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis prays for Peace on Earth in «urbi et orbi»

The Roman Catholic Pope, Francis, prayed, as usual, for peace on earth and urged for brotherhood between nations and cultures, during his traditional speech at St. Peter’s Square on Christmas Day.

 

– What is the universal message of Christmas? the Pope queries during the traditional «urbi et orbi»-speech.

– It is that God our father and that we are all brothers and sisters, the head of the Roman Catholic Church answers himself to the many thousands of believers gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

– This truth forms the basis of the Christian vision of humanity. For that reason, my desire for a merry Christmas is also a desire for fraternity, he continues.

Yemen and Syria

Pope Francis continues praying for peace on Earth and specifically mentioned Yemen, where 14 million people are threatened by hunger and the Saudi and Iranian backed war has cost at least 10,000 their lives.

– My thoughts go out to Yemen. I hope the truce the world community has finally agreed to brings relief to the children and others who are exhausted by war and hunger, he goes on.

The Pope also expresses the hope that the war in Syria will come to an end soon.

– The world community must work decisively to bring about a political solution so that the Syrian people, especially all those who were forced to flee, can return home and live in peace in their own country, he urges.

Hopes for peace talks

The fate of the Palestinians was also routinely a subject of the Pope’s annual speech.

May the Israelis and Palestinians be able to resume the dialogue and embark on peace-keeping so that an over 70-year-old conflict may come to an end, he reiterates.

The Pope also calls for an end to conflicts in Africa, between North and South Korea, rounding off with the Ukraine, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

The number of Roman Catholics is on the rise in Norway, mainly due to the influx from Polish workers.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today