Pope Leo XIV reiterated his call for a Christmas truce and regretted Russia’s rejection

Pope Leo XIV He regretted that Russia, apparently, has rejected the Christmas truce that the pontiff requested in recent days and that he summarized in the proposal “24 hours of peace on Christmas.”

“I renew my call to all people of good will to respect a day of peace, at least on the festival of the birth of our Savior,” declared Leo XIV upon his return to Rome from the papal see of Castelgandolfo, about 50 kilometers away, where he takes a day of rest between Monday and Tuesday.

“Maybe they will listen to us and there will be 24 hours of peace in the entire world,” he added. “It saddens me” that Russia “seems to have rejected the request for a truce,” the Pope noted.

At midnight the pontiff will preside over the Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, before pronouncing it on Thursday the 25th at noon the traditional “urbi et orbi” blessing from the central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican, for the first time in almost eight months, when on May 8 he was elected universal pontiff of the world’s Catholics

The Pope had also asked on Sunday: “Let us pray so that all the children of the world can live in peace,”

The Church is living a year of transition began with the death of the Argentine Pope Francis, on April 21. The Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 began on Christmas 2024 and ends on January 6.

The second phase of the pontificate of Leo XIV, which until now has shown less showy leadership Regarding the charismatic style of the Argentine Jorge Bergoglio, it begins with the Consistory of all the cardinals of the world that will take place on January 7 and 8.

Robert Prevost is more reflective than his predecessor, with whom he identifies in many of his decisions. But León surprised when he decided to authorize the traditional mass in Saint Peter’s that Francis had prohibited, and which was celebrated by the conservative and traditionalist Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke in the Tridentine rite, prior to the Second Vatican Council.

His decision was very well received by the conservative and traditionalist wing of the Church who had already welcomed his statement to an interviewer in which he stated that during his pontificate he will try “not to continue polarizing or promoting polarization in the Church.”

But the Pope also expressed vehemently that “we must listen to and pray for the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” He has spoken eloquently against the richest sectors of society, demanding a change in favor of attention to the enormous social problems that most countries in the world are experiencing.

He also spoke against sexual abuse by clergywhich “fill with shame and call for humility.” The Pope called for greater training for priests in an apostolic letter last week.

In the message he points out: “In recent decades, the crisis of confidence in the church caused by abuses committed by members of the clergy, which fill us with shame and call us to humility, has made us even more aware of the urgency of comprehensive formation that ensures the growth and human maturity of candidates for the presbytery.

“The seminary, whatever its modality, must be a school of affection, we need to learn to love and do like Jesus. “Only humanly mature and spiritually solid priests and consecrated persons are capable of authentic relationships with everyone, can assume the commitment of celibacy and credibly announce the Gospel of the Risen One.”

The North American and Peruvian Pope urges priests to flee “from all personalism and all celebration of oneself, despite the public exposure that the position sometimes requires.”