Pope Francis calls for ceasefire on all fronts in his prayer ahead of Christmas
Voice of America
People look at a giant screen in St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, showing Pope Francis reciting the Angelus noon prayer from his residence, after he decided not to appear at the window of his studio because of a persistent cold, Dec. 22, 2024.
Pope Francis called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday Angelus prayer ahead of Christmas, condemning the "cruelty" of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.
A Palestinian child runs to shelter from the rain at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Dec. 20, 2024. A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment building in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, on Dec. 20, 2024. Palestinian girls struggle to reach for food at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Dec. 20, 2024.
FILE - Pakistani military personnel stand beside a surface-to-surface ballistic missile during a Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad on March 23, 2019. A White House official said on Dec. 19, 2024, that Pakistan is developing missile capabilities that could reach the U.S.
FILE - Three reactors make up the Flamanville 3 nuclear power plant in Flamanville, France, on April 25, 2024, with the European Pressurized Reactor at far right. France connected the EPR to the power grid for the first time on Dec. 21, 2024.
Forensic technicians work on a damaged car sitting with its doors open after a driver plowed into a busy Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Dec. 21, 2024. A police officer stands guard at a blocked road near a Christmas market after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, Dec. 20, 2024.
A woman inspects the damage as she evacuates her home in Tel Aviv, Israel, early on Dec. 21, 2024, after a projectile fired from Yemen landed near her building.
FILE - This photo released by the Arakan Army shows members of the Arakan Army posing in front of the captured district police office in Ann township, Rakhine state, Myanmar, Nov. 29, 2024.
FILE - Pilgrims crowd St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, May 30, 1998, on Pentecost Day. FILE - A view of the construction site of the new 25.5-kilometer Metro C subway main hub in Piazza Venezia in central Rome, May 23, 2024. FILE - People gather at the Fori Imperiali avenue, with the Colosseum in the background, during an event celebrating the ban on private vehicles, in Rome, Aug. 3, 2013.
Visitors look at a wall displaying the names of the victims of 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, at the Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Dec 14, 2024. Participants prepare for the start of a 5km running event titled 'Run for Life, Tsunami Memorial 2024' held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Dec. 15, 2024.
KRG Council of Ministers, Dec. 11, 2024.
People take shelter in a metro station during an air raid alarm in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024. Ivanna holds her dog in front of a burning car after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024. Firefighters work at the site of a damaged building after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
FILE - California Governor Gavin Newsom meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2023.