Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the “cruelty” of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.

The claim stems from the celebration of the 2025 Jubilee, a Roman Catholic tradition that happens every 25 years.

Pope Francis emphasized that “no child is ever a mistake” during his last Angelus address before Christmas Day.

Francis urged the Vatican inner circle to bless more and talk less badly of others. It wasn’t the first time he had used the occasion to scold them.

Pope Francis, who has just turned 88 and has been suffering from a heavy cold, will lead the regular Sunday Angelus prayer from inside his residence as a precaution, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday.

Pope Francis told Vatican bureaucrats on Saturday to stop speaking ill of one another, as he once again used his annual Christmas greetings to admonish the backstabbing and gossiping among his closest collaborators.

The Pope called for a worldwide ceasefire during Christmas. Francis, who was nursing a cold, prayed from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. Pope Francis recited the Angelus prayer from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta,