‘Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem’: Pope Francis appeal for peace during Christmas Eve mass – as he decries ‘futile logic of war’ as conflict rages on in Gaza

The Pope today appealed for peace as he kicked off Christmas celebrations with a mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica as the Israel-Hamas war raged in the Gaza Strip.

‘Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,’ the Pope said to some 6,500 faithful who attended the traditional service. 

Francis’s address never mentioned Israel or Gaza by name, but he made numerous references to violence and war, arguing that justice would not come ‘from a show of force’.

The pontiff said Jesus ‘does not eliminate injustice from above by a show of force, but from below, by a show of love’.

‘He does not burst on the scene with limitless power,’ he said, speaking in Italian with an official translation provided in seven languages.

Pope Francis (R) greets a child as he leads the Midnight Christmas mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, 24 December 2023

Pope Francis (R) leads the Midnight Christmas mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, 24 December 2023

During his weekly Angelus prayer earlier today, the Pope said that ‘we are close to our brothers and sisters who are suffering from war – we are thinking of Palestine, of Israel, of Ukraine’.

On Christmas Day, the pontiff is due to lead the traditional ‘Urbi and Orbi’ prayer at 1100 GMT, during which he normally mentions the conflicts around the world.

A new document explains a radical change in Vatican policy, insisting worshippers seeking God’s love and mercy should not be subject to ‘an exhaustive moral analysis’ to receive it.

A Hamas attack on Israel October 7 left around 1,140 people dead, most of them civilians.

Pope Francis presides over Christmas eve Mass, at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday Dec. 24, 2023

Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, December 24, 2023

The Palestinian terrorists also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.

Israel retaliated with a sustained bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, where 20,424 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The Pope has frequently denounced attacks on civilians in the ongoing conflict.