In his traditional Christmas address “Urbi et orbi” (“City and the World”) on Saturday, Pope Francis of Rome called for dialogue at both the personal and political levels at a time of increasing isolation due to the coronavir pandemic.
Addressing believers gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the pope said that “during this pandemic (…) our ability to build social relationships is being severely tested. .
“At the international level, too, there is a risk of avoiding dialogue, a risk that this complex crisis will lead to the use of shortcuts rather than the longest paths of dialogue,” Francis said.
“However, only these avenues for dialogue can lead to conflict resolution and lasting benefits for all,” the pope said.
He also noted that “we continue to witness conflicts, crises and disagreements around the world. They never seem to end, we now barely notice them. We are so accustomed to them that huge tragedies go unnoticed.”
The Pope mentioned conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere in the world.
Francis also urged “new outbreaks of the protracted conflict in Ukraine”.
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