Pope Francis called for the end to the Gaza war and a lasting solution to the conflict in the Middle East in his Christmas Day message on Monday, while also condemning abortion in strong terms.

“I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid,” he told tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square.

“May there be an end to the fuelling of violence and hatred. And may the Palestinian question come to be resolved through
sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community.”

The pontiff again condemned the “abominable” attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 which sparked the war and urged the Palestinian movement to release Jewish hostages while also demanding Israel allows better aid into besieged Gaza.

Christmas is being celebrated quietly in the Holy Land this year due to the war in Gaza between Israel and the Islamist Hamas. There are hardly any tourists in Bethlehem in the West Bank – according to tradition the birthplace of Jesus Christ – and Jerusalem.

He also called for peace in all conflicts including in Ukraine, while lamenting the power of the arms industry.

“The human heart is weak and impulsive; if we find instruments
of death in our hands, sooner or later we will use them. And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?” he remarked.

“Today, as at the time of Herod, the evil that opposes
God’s light hatches its plots in the shadows of hypocrisy and concealment. How much violence and killing takes place amid deafening silence, unbeknownst to many?”

Continuing the theme of war, Pope Francis used powerful words to condemn abortion.

The head of 1.3 billion Catholics drew a comparison between abortions and the suffering of children in armed conflicts or as refugees.

“How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world? In their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood
has been devastated by war,” the 87-year-old said.

“They are the little Jesuses of today.”

The Argentinian has been the head of the Catholic Church for more than a decade and despite being liberal on some issues such as gay rights, he is known as a strict opponent of abortion. He previously described abortion as murder.

He remained seated during the speech. Francis has been suffering from health problems for some time, including a knee injury.

After his speech, the pope gave the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing.