Once again leaning out of the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, after last year’s absence due to the pandemic, Francis hit consciences again this Saturday with a Christmas message in which he assured that “we have become accustomed to the immense tragedies are overlooked “and that” we run the risk of not hearing the cries of pain and despair from many of our brothers and sisters. “

Before thousands of faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, despite the epidemic situation in Italy, Francis affirmed that in this time of pandemic “the tendency to close oneself, to fend for oneself, to give up going out, to meet, collaborate “. But he regretted that this is also observed “in the international arena” where “there is the risk of not wanting to dialogue, the risk that the complexity of the crisis will lead to choosing shortcuts, instead of the slower paths of dialogue; but they are these, in fact, the only ones that lead to the resolution of conflicts and shared and lasting benefits “.

Likewise, the Pope has stressed that there are still “many conflicts, crises and contradictions. It seems that they never end and almost go unnoticed.” “We have become so accustomed that immense tragedies are already overlooked; we run the risk of not hearing the cries of pain and despair of many of our brothers and sisters,” he criticized.

A land riddled with conflict

And as is usual in his Christmas messages, which become a harsh description of the present, he has begun to enumerate the conflicts in the world and began with Syria, which lives “for more than a decade, a war has caused many victims and an incalculable number of refugees. ” It has continued with Iraq, “which after a long conflict still has difficulty getting up,” and Yemen “where a huge tragedy, forgotten by all, has been perpetrating in silence for years, causing deaths every day.”

He also recalled the “continuous tensions between Israelis and Palestinians that continue without solution, with increasing social and political consequences” and spoke of Bethlehem plunged into a serious economic crisis caused by the pandemic “that prevents pilgrims from reaching Earth. Santa, with negative effects on the lives of the population “, and Lebanon” suffering an unprecedented crisis with very worrying economic and social conditions. “

Before the faithful in Saint Peter’s Square on a day of incessant rain, Francis asked “the Child who has just been born” for the Catholic faithful, to “grant peace and harmony to the Middle East and the whole world.” And that it supports “all those who are engaged in humanitarian assistance to populations that are forced to flee their homeland; it consoles the Afghan people, who for more than forty years have been harshly tested by conflicts that force many to leave. the country”.

He has also asked the Burmese people for support, “where intolerance and violence also frequently hit the Christian community and places of worship, and overshadow the peaceful face of its people.” and that it allows “the metastasis of a gangrenous conflict to spread in Ukraine.” And he has prayed for Ethiopia to “find again the path of reconciliation and peace through sincere debate, to put the demands of the population first” and to hear “the cry of the peoples of the region. of the Sahel, who suffer from the violence of international terrorism “and also requested relief for the countries of North Africa and” for the suffering of many brothers and sisters who suffer from the internal conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan.

“Make the values ​​of solidarity, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence prevail in the hearts of the peoples of the American continent, through dialogue, reciprocal respect and recognition of the rights and cultural values ​​of all human beings” Francisco has said in the only reference to Latin America.

Solutions for the pandemic

He also had words to comfort “the victims of violence against women that is spreading in this time of pandemic” and “offer hope to children and adolescents who are victims of harassment and abuse.” And he wished that God “inspire all people of good will to find the most appropriate solutions to help overcome the health crisis and its consequences” and that “hearts are generous, to deliver the necessary assistance, especially vaccines. , to the poorest populations “.

He has prayed that we are not “indifferent to the drama of the emigrants, the displaced and the refugees. His eyes ask us not to look elsewhere, not to deny the humanity that unites us, to make their stories our own, and Let’s not forget their dramas. ” As well as he has also asked that we become “diligent towards our common home, which also suffers from the negligence with which we frequently treat it” and that “the political authorities reach effective agreements so that the next generations can live in a respectful environment. for life”.

Francis concluded before giving the Urbi et Orbi (To the city and the world) blessing, hoping that we can “listen to each other and dialogue as brothers and sisters.”