Pope Francis made a plea for peace in a world torn by conflict in his 2024 speech ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (‘To the city and the world’). It came as Christmas marked the start of the celebrations of the Holy Year 2025, which are expected to bring some 32 million Catholic faithful to Rome.
“I invite every individual, and all people of all nations… to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of weapons and overcome divisions,” the Pope said, speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to a crowd of thousands of people. of people in the square below.
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He urged negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to “achieve a just and lasting peace” and end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people since Moscow’s massive invasion more than two years ago. The conflict did not end during the holiday, as Russia carried out what it called a “war.” “mass strike” targeting energy facilities in Ukraine on Christmas Day.
Pope Francis also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the United States Israel-Hamas warcall with humanitarian crisis in Gaza “extremely serious”, and urged the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
He encouraged people around the world to “break down all walls of separation,” remembering children suffering from war and hunger, the elderly living in isolation, those fleeing their homelands and those persecuted for their faith.
Pilgrims lined up early Wednesday to walk through the great Holy Door at the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica for the Christmas celebrations. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis knocked on the door and was the first to enter through it, inaugurating the 2025 jubilee he dedicated to hope.
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Crossing the Holy Door is one way the faithful can obtain indulgences, or forgiveness for sins, during a Jubilee, a once-in-a-quarter-century tradition dating back to 1300.
“You feel so humbled when you go through the door that once you go through it, it’s almost like a release, a release of emotions,” said Blanca Martin, a pilgrim from San Diego. “… It’s almost like a release of emotions. You feel like you can now let go of everything and put everything in God’s hands. Look, I get emotional. It’s just a beautiful experience.”
Visitors subjected to security checks before entering the Holy Door amid fresh security fears after fatal accident Attack on the Christmas market in Germany. Many stopped to touch the door as they passed and made the sign of the cross as they entered the basilica dedicated to St. Peter, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church.
Within is the beauty of one recently restored St. Peter’s Basilica was unveiled after extensive restoration work was carried out in preparation for the anniversary year.
One of the most important restorations is from Baldachin by Berninia canopy that sits on top the grave of Saint Peterwith centuries of dirt removed to reveal the shiny gold finish. The See of St. Peter, an important symbol of papal authority dating from 875 AD, was also restored.
CBS News correspondent Chis Livesay got a behind-the-scenes look at the restoration work at St. Peter’s, which you can watch in the video below.
Christmas and Hanukkah coincide, a rare occurrence
HanukkahJudaism’s eight-day festival of lights, begins this year on Christmas Day, which has happened only four times since 1900.
The calendar’s confluence has inspired some religious leaders to organize interfaith gatherings, such as a Chicanukah celebration hosted last week by several Jewish organizations in Houston, Texas, where members of the city’s Latino and Jewish communities gathered for latkes , the traditional potato pancake eaten on Hanukkah. , topped with guacamole and salsa.
Although Hanukkah is meant to be a joyful, festive holiday, rabbis note that this year it takes place as Wars are raging in the Middle East and fears are rising over widespread incidents of anti-Semitism. The holidays rarely overlap because the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and is out of sync with the Gregorian calendar, which sets Christmas on December 25. The last time Chanukah started on Christmas Day was in 2005.
The festivities in Germany quieted down after a market attack
German celebrations were eclipsed by one car attack on a Christmas market In Magdeburg, five people were killed on Friday, including a 9-year-old boy, and 200 people were injured. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier rewrote his recorded speech on Christmas Day to address the attack, saying that “there is sadness, pain, horror and incomprehension about what took place in Magdeburg.” He urged Germans to “stand together” and that “hate and violence should not have the last word.”
A 50-year-old Saudi doctor who had practiced medicine in Germany since 2006 was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm. The suspect’s X-report describes him as a former Muslim and is full of anti-Islamic themes. He criticized the authorities for failing to combat “the Islamization of Germany” and expressed support for the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Chris Livesay of CBS News and Reuters news agency contributed to the reporting.
