In his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday, Pope Francis called on “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of weapons and overcome the divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.

The Pope’s Urbi et Orbi (city and world) address serves as a summary of the troubles facing the world this year. Since Christmas coincided with the beginning of the celebration of the Holy Year 2025, which he dedicated to hope, Francis called for broad reconciliation, “even (with) our enemies.”

“I call on every individual, and all people of all nations … to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of weapons and overcome divisions,” the pope told the crowd below from the box of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Pope invoked the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which he opened on Christmas Eve for the beginning of the Jubilee 2025, as a symbol of God’s mercy, which “unties every knot; breaks down every wall of division; disperses hatred and the spirit of revenge.”

WATCH | Pope Francis sent a Christmas message to ‘Urbi et Orbi’:

He called for a ceasefire in war-torn Ukraine and the Middle East, singling out Christian communities in Israel and the Palestinian territories, “especially in Gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely difficult,” as well as Lebanon and Syria “at this most delicate time.”

Francis repeated his calls for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas from Israel on October 7, 2023.

He cited the deadly measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the suffering of people in Myanmar, who have been forced to flee their homes due to the “ongoing armed conflict.” The Pope also remembered the children who suffer from war and hunger, the elderly who live in isolation, those who flee their homeland, those who have lost their jobs and people who are persecuted for their faith.

The Jubilee is expected to draw millions to Rome

Pilgrims lined up on Christmas Day to pass through the great Holy Door at the entrance to St Peter’s Basilica, as the jubilee is expected to bring some 32 million Catholics to Rome.

Passing through the Holy Gate is one of the ways in which the faithful can receive indulgences or remissions of sins during the Jubilee, a tradition held every quarter of a century that dates back to the 1300s.

Pilgrims are subject to security checks before entering the Holy Door, amid fresh security fears following a deadly attack on a Christmas market in Germany.

Many people stopped to touch the door and cross themselves when entering the basilica dedicated to St. Peter, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church.

“You feel so humbled when you walk through the door that when you walk through it, it’s almost like a release, a release of emotion,” said Blanca Martin, a pilgrim from San Diego. “It’s almost like a release of emotions, you feel like you’re now able to let go and put everything in God’s hands. You can see me getting emotional. It’s just a beautiful experience.”