On the occasion of the celebration of Christmas, Pope Francis delivered his message from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and imparted his blessing "Urbi et Orbi."
This was reported by Vatican News.
This Christmas, the Pope called for turning our hearts to the Lord, who forgives everyone and everything.
“The doors of God's heart are always open. Let us return to Him! Let us return to the heart that loves and forgives us!” The pontiff said.
He invited every person, every nation to go through the “door of God's heart.”
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be enough courage to open the door for negotiations and gestures of dialogue and meeting to achieve just and lasting peace,” he said.
The Pontiff expressed his closeness to the people of Lebanon, Syria, and Myanmar, who are suffering and forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing armed conflicts.
He called for reconciliation in the Middle East and wished to find effective solutions in truth and justice to promote social harmony, particularly in Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua.
“Brothers and sisters, let the Jubilee be an occasion for the forgiveness of debts, especially those that burden the poorest countries. We are called to forgive others as for the Son of God, born in the cold and darkness of the night, forgives all our debts. He came to heal and forgive us. As pilgrims of hope, let us go out to meet Him! Let us open to Him the doors of our hearts, as He has opened to us the door of His heart,” Pope Francis urged.