Pope calls for «Christmas truce» worldwide

Pope Francis (photo: Getty Images)

Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in all war zones in his Sunday prayer on Christmas Eve, December 22, stressing the need for a Christmas truce.

This is reported by the Associated Press.

He stressed that Ukraine is still suffering from shelling of cities, which leads to the destruction of schools, hospitals and churches. Against this background, Pope Francis called for the guns to fall silent and Christmas carols to ring out.

«We pray that by Christmas there will be a ceasefire on all fronts of war, in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, throughout the Middle East, and throughout the world,» he said.

Pope Francis also expressed concern about the situation in Mozambique.

Earlier, in his Easter message, he expressed his wish for an exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine on the principle of «all for all».