Pope calls for trust in Korea, peace in Jerusalem

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis called for “peace for Jerusalem” and “mutual trust” on the Korean peninsula as he highlighted the suffering of children in conflicts across the world in his Christmas address yesterday.

In the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” address in Saint Peter’s Square, the pontiff spoke of “growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians,” hoping that the “will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two states.”

“Let us pray that confrontation may be overcome on the Korean peninsula and that mutual trust may increase in the interest of the world as a whole,” the pope also said.

At the same time, he urged the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics not to ignore the plight of migrants who are “driven from their land” because of leaders willing to shed “innocent blood.”

“So many other footsteps are hidden in the footsteps of Joseph and Mary,” the Argentine pontiff, himself the grandson of Italian migrants, told worshippers in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

“We see the tracks of millions of persons who do not choose to go away but, driven from their land, leave behind their dear ones.”

Many engulfed in the ongoing migration crisis were forced to flee from leaders “who, to impose their power and increase their wealth, see no problem in shedding innocent blood,” said the 81-yearold pontiff.

His plea for “hope” came as fresh tensions simmered in the West Bank following Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The announcement by US President Donald Trump on Dec. 6 unleashed demonstrators and clashes, including in Bethlehem in the Israelioccupied West Bank where Christians marked the birth of Jesus at a midnight mass.

Yesterday, Guatemala President Jimmy Morales said his country would move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following Trump’s controversial lead.