In his traditional Christmas Day message, Pope Francis also called for more aid to Gaza in order to solve a « desperate humanitarian situation ».

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is reaping an “appalling harvest” of innocent civilians, Pope Francis said in his Christmas message.

In his Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and world) address on Monday, the head of the Catholic Church also called the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas “abominable” and again appealed for the release of about 100 hostages still being held in Gaza, as he appealed for an end to hostilities.

Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, the 87-year-old Francis called for an end to conflicts, political, social or military, in places including Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and he defended the rights of migrants around the world.

“How, many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today,” he said.

He gave particular attention to the Holy Land, including Gaza. Overnight on Christmas Eve, Israeli air raids killed at least 78 people in one of the besieged enclave’s deadliest nights of Israel’s 11-week-old battle with Hamas, according to Palestinian health officials.

“May it [peace] come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those peoples. I embrace them all, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza and the entire Holy Land,” Francis said.

‘Puppet strings of war’

“I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid,” he said.

Last week, a United Nations-backed body said in a report that the entire 2.3 million population of Gaza was facing crisis levels of hunger and that the risk of famine was increasing every day.

The Vatican, which has diplomatic relations with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, believes a two-state solution is the only answer to the long-running conflict. Francis called for “persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community”.

Dedicating an entire paragraph of his message to the weapons trade, Francis said: “And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?”

He called for more investigation of the armaments trade.

“It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet strings of war,” he said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, killing at least 20,424 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,036 others, according to local health authorities.

About 1,140 people were killed in Israel in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory’s housing damaged or destroyed and nearly two million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

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Le pape émérite Benoît XVI a demandé « pardon » mardi aux victimes de violences sexuelles commises par des membres du clergé. Mais il a assuré n’avoir jamais couvert de prêtres pédocriminels quand il était archevêque ou souverain pontife.

Dans une lettre transmise par le Vatican – moins de trois semaines après la publication d’un rapport indépendant en Allemagne l’accusant d’inaction face à des violences sexuelles sur mineurs dans l’archevêché de Munich – Benoît XVI a réaffirmé n’avoir jamais dissimulé d’actes d’agression sexuelle alors qu’il assumait « de grandes responsabilités » en Allemagne comme au Vatican.

Le souverain pontife a cependant reconnu avoir « regardé dans les yeux les conséquences d’une très grande faute ». Et, a-t-il souligné, « j’ai appris à comprendre que nous sommes nous-mêmes entraînés dans cette grande faute quand nous la négligeons ou quand nous ne l’affrontons pas avec la décision et la responsabilité nécessaires, comme il est trop souvent arrivé et qu’il arrive encore ».

Je ne peux qu’exprimer, une fois encore, à l’égard de toutes les victimes d’abus sexuels ma profonde honte, ma grande douleur et ma demande sincère de pardon

Benoît XVI, pape émérite

« Je ne peux qu’exprimer, une fois encore, à l’égard de toutes les victimes d’abus sexuels ma profonde honte, ma grande douleur et ma demande sincère de pardon. J’ai eu de grandes responsabilités dans l’Église catholique. Ma douleur est d’autant plus grande pour les abus et les erreurs qui se sont produits au cours de mon mandat en différents lieux », qu’il ait été archevêque de Munich (1977-1982) ou pape (2005-2013).

Centaines de victimes

Selon le rapport du cabinet Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) recensant plus de 400 victimes de violences sexuelles dans l’archevêché de Munich et Freising, le cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, avant qu’il ne devienne pape, était au courant du passé pédocriminel d’un prêtre, Peter Hullermann.

Dans un document également transmis mardi par le Vatican, des conseillers du pape émérite réfutent les accusations du rapport de 8000 pages qu’ils ont passées au crible pour lui.

« En tant qu’archevêque, le cardinal Ratzinger n’a été impliqué dans aucun acte de dissimulation d’abus », assurent ces quatre conseillers, évoquant des informations « inexactes » contenues dans le rapport allemand.

Le théologien allemand a enfin remercié le pape François, qui lui a succédé en 2013 après qu’il eut renoncé à sa charge, « pour la confiance, l’appui et la prière » que celui-ci lui « a exprimés personnellement ».

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L’article Benoît XVI demande « pardon » aux victimes d’abus sexuels, mais nie avoir couvert des prêtres est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

US President Joe Biden and Pope Francis engaged in talks on climate change, poverty and the coronavirus pandemic as the world’s two most prominent Roman Catholics met for an hour and a quarter at the Vatican on Friday.

The two leaders, who hold each other in warm regard, sat across from one another at a desk in the papal library, accompanied by a translator. The two prayed together and discussed the moral imperative for world leaders to address climate change, Biden said.

Their private meeting ran long as the two engaged in personal discussions, touched on Biden’s loss of his adult son, Beau, and laughed about ageing well. Biden and the pope then exchanged gifts and held a broader meeting including First Lady Jill Biden and top officials.

The lengthy session, which Biden called “wonderful”, put the US president more than an hour behind schedule for official meetings with government leaders. Hundreds of people lined the streets in Rome to catch a glimpse of the US president’s motorcade as it passed by, many taking photos.

It is Biden’s first trip to Europe since becoming president in January. He will participate in a summit of the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) – the world’s biggest economies – in Rome on October 31 and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1-2.

On Friday afternoon, Biden met Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi and President Sergio Mattarella, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.

The US president is expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Thursday.

Biden’s meeting with the pope comes as he faces criticism in the United States from Catholic bishops over the issue of abortion rights. A major political battle is brewing in the US as the Supreme Court prepares to rule whether states can ban abortion procedures.

US bishops have been debating whether Biden should be allowed to continue receiving Holy Communion, a Christian rite of worship involving the taking of bread and wine in remembrance of Christ.

A devout Roman Catholic, Biden goes to weekly masses regularly and keeps a picture of the pope behind his desk in the Oval Office. He has said he is personally opposed to abortion but as an elected leader cannot impose his views.

Biden, 78, said Pope Francis, 84, advised he should keep taking Holy Communion.

Two old friends share rapport, laughs as Biden, who is a devout Catholic, visits Europe for the first time as US president.

Biden said the two did not discuss the abortion issue directly but that “we just talked about the fact that he was happy that I was a good Catholic and … keep receiving communion”.

Biden is only the second Catholic to be elected US president. The first was President John F Kennedy in 1960.

“In his audience with Pope Francis today, President Biden thanked His Holiness for his advocacy for the world’s poor and those suffering from hunger, conflict, and persecution,” the White House said in a statement.

“He lauded Pope Francis’ leadership in fighting the climate crisis, as well as his advocacy to ensure the pandemic ends for everyone through vaccine sharing and an equitable global economic recovery.”

A dozen Swiss Guards in their blue and gold striped uniforms and red-plumed halberds stood at attention in the San Damaso courtyard as Biden and the US first lady arrived.

Biden slipped what is known as a challenge coin into the pope’s palm during a handshake, and hailed Francis as “the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met”.

The personalised coin depicts Biden’s home state of Delaware and a reference to his late son Beau’s military unit, the Delaware National Guard’s 261st Signal Brigade.

“The tradition is, and I’m only kidding about this, but next time I see you, if you don’t have it, you have to buy the drinks,” Biden said, referring to the coin. He added: “I’m the only Irishman you’ve ever met who’s never had a drink.”

Francis laughed and responded: “The Irish brought whisky.”

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

L’article President Biden meets pope at the Vatican ahead of climate talks est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.