Pope Francis addresses Ukraine, Middle East in Christmas Urbi et Orbi message

Pope Francis delivered his annual “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) Christmas message and blessing from the Vatican on Wednesday, calling for peace across the globe and an end to ongoing conflicts.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church directly mentioned the war between Russia and Ukraine and called for “the boldness needed to open the door to negotiations” during the speech, which serves as a summary of the problems facing the world in year.

“May the sound of guns be silenced in Ukraine,” Francis said from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below. He also called for “gestures of dialogue and meeting to achieve a just and lasting peace.”

Francis, 88, celebrates Christmas 12 in his pontificate by calling for an end to conflicts, political, social or military, in Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua, among others.

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Pope Francis delivered the “Urbi et Orbi” speech from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. (Vatican News/YouTube)

Francis, who has been pope since 2013, was criticized by Ukrainian officials this year when he said the country needed the courage of the “white flag” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously ruled out participating in peace talks without the restoration of Ukraine’s pre-war borders. But in the weeks following Donald Trump’s re-election as US president, Zelenskyy has shown an increasing willingness to enter into negotiations.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press briefing on July 8, 2023 in Lviv, Ukraine. (Mykola Tys/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Francis, who has recently become more critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, also renewed his call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

He called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “extremely serious” and called for “the doors of dialogue and peace (to) be opened.”

Demonstrators and relatives of hostages taken by Hamas during the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel protest on the National Mall in Washington, DC, U.S., Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Christmas marked the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebration, which is expected to bring some 32 million Catholics to Rome, according to the Associated Press.

Pilgrims lined up early Wednesday to walk through the Great Holy Door at the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica. Crossing the Holy Door is a way for the faithful to obtain indulgences or forgiveness of sins during a jubilee, a once-in-a-quarter-century tradition dating back to the 1300s.

Thousands listen to Pope Francis give his Christmas message and blessing from the Vatican on December 25, 2024. (Vatican News/YouTube)

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On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis knocked on the door and was the first to walk through it, inaugurating the 2025 Jubilee, which he dedicated to hope.

A Catholic Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee Year, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness and forgiveness.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.