‘Tents in Gaza’: Pope Leo laments plight of Palestinians, raging wars in first Christmas sermon

In his first Christmas sermon, Pope Leo on Thursday spoke about the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with unusual directness.

In an address from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, Leo recalled the story of Jesus Christ and said he was born in a stable that showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.

“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” said Leo, according to Reuters.

Since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel, around 1.9 million out of Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.1 million have been displaced internally. The vast majority of them have been living in tent cities across the strip. The vast majority of buildings, including homes and hospitals, have been destroyed.

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In contrast with the diplomatic tone that he usually has, Leo spoke directly of Palestinians affected by the war and migrants facing crackdowns in the United States and elsewhere under far-right regimes.

Lamenting the situation for migrants and refugees who “traverse the American continent”, Leo said that refusing to help the poor and strangers was tantamount to rejecting God himself.

Leo laments ‘rubble and open wounds’ of war

Going beyond Gaza to address the other wars raging in the country, Leo said those conflicts were “leaving behind rubble and open wounds”.

“Fragile is the flesh of defenceless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds. Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths,” said Leo.

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Previously, Leo has lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza man times. Last month, he said that the creation of a Palestinian state must be party of any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Leo lamented conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, and Thailand and Cambodia, among others, and noted that people in Ukraine have been “tormented” by violence.

Leo further said, “May the clamour of weapons cease, and may the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue.”

For Thailand and Cambodia, where at least 80 killed in the latest round of violence and hundreds of thousands displaced, Leo asked that the nations’ that “ancient friendship” be restored “to work towards reconciliation and peace”.