At his midday "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from the Vatican, Pope Francis called for peace in the world and especially in the Middle East, the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
The Pope asked listeners to look to the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem. Despite the conflicts besetting that region, the "birth of the Saviour there and the proclamation of the angel, “To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,” gives us great hope..."
In the United Kingdom, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also invoked Bethlehem, saying that today, “the skies of Bethlehem are full of fear rather than angels and glory”.
One of India's most prominent spiritual leaders, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar gave his Christmas address in France. He said that, "Love not hatred is the way to overcome fear. More than 20 000 people have now died in Gaza. Because ignorant people have done a terrible thing, you now want to take revenge - then you join them in the same basket... Look how support for Hamas is growing - isn't it foolish to encourage that?..."
We reported in October that Poland's Chief Rabbi led an inter-faith prayer for peace in the Middle East, following the initial terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
Sources: Vatican News, The Guardian, srisriravishankar.org, Radio Poland
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