Pope Leo XIV’s 2025 Christmas Urbi et Orbi message emphasizes peace as God’s gift and human responsibility, pleading for dialogue amid ongoing wars in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa, and beyond.
Newsroom (26/12/2025 Gaudium Press) In a poignant Christmas address delivered from the central loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica on December 25, 2025, Pope Leo XIV renewed his fervent plea for peace, describing it as both a divine gift and a profound human responsibility in a world marred by persistent conflict and suffering.
Drawing on the liturgical announcement of Christ’s birth—”Let us all rejoice in the Lord, for our Savior has been born in the world. Today, true peace has come down to us from heaven”—the pontiff underscored that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of peace, having conquered hatred through merciful love. Quoting Saint Leo the Great, he declared, “The Lord’s birth is the birth of peace.”
Pope Leo XIV reflected deeply on the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth in a Bethlehem stable, noting that the Son of God, through whom all things were created, chose poverty and rejection to identify with the discarded and excluded. This, he said, revealed Christ’s fundamental decision to bear the burden of sin himself while calling humanity to exercise free will in love and responsibility.
“God, who created us without us, will not save us without us,” the Pope stated, citing Saint Augustine. He warned that those who fail to love their visible brothers and sisters cannot love the invisible God, asserting that “responsibility is the sure way to peace.” If individuals at every level ceased accusing others, acknowledged their faults, sought forgiveness, and stood in solidarity with the oppressed, he argued, the world would transform.
The pontiff emphasized that true peacemaking requires hearts freed from sin through Christ’s grace, enabling the rejection of hatred and violence in favor of dialogue and reconciliation. Without such inner liberation, he said, neither individuals nor nations can become builders of peace.
Extending warm greetings to Christians worldwide, particularly those in the Middle East whom he recently visited during his first Apostolic Journey, Pope Leo XIV acknowledged their fears and powerlessness amid overwhelming power dynamics. Quoting Jesus’ words—”In me you may have peace… I have overcome the world”—he prayed for justice, peace, and stability in Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Syria.
Turning to Europe, he entrusted the continent to the Prince of Peace, urging continued inspiration from its Christian roots toward community, cooperation, and solidarity with those in need. He made a special plea for Ukraine’s tormented people, calling for the cessation of weapons and courageous, sincere dialogue supported by the international community.
The Pope implored consolation for victims of all current wars, especially forgotten ones, and those suffering from injustice, instability, persecution, and terrorism. He remembered specifically the peoples of Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the closing days of the Jubilee of Hope, he prayed for Haiti to overcome violence and advance toward reconciliation. For Latin America, he urged political leaders to prioritize dialogue for the common good over ideological prejudices.
Further afield, Pope Leo XIV sought peace and reconciliation for Myanmar, restoration of friendship between Thailand and Cambodia, and renewed commitment to aid victims of devastating natural disasters in South Asia and Oceania.
Highlighting Jesus’ identification with human fragility, he named those in Gaza who have lost everything, Yemenis facing hunger, refugees crossing the Mediterranean or Americas, unemployed youth, exploited workers, and prisoners in inhumane conditions. Urging against indifference, he stressed that God is not indifferent to distress.
Quoting a poet’s vision of “wildpeace” that arrives suddenly like wildflowers, the pontiff called for open hearts toward those in need, thereby opening hearts to the Child Jesus who grants power to become children of God.
As the Jubilee Year nears its end with the closing of Holy Doors, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed Christ as the ever-open Door to divine life, healing wounds and offering lasting peace. He concluded with heartfelt wishes for a peaceful and holy Christmas to all.
https://youtu.be/EN9ETAUEmN4
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican.va
Related Images:
