Pope shares Christmas message, marking the start of the Holy Year 2025 for Catholics around the world

Pope Francis launched a plea for peace in a conflict-ridden world in his 2024 Christmas Day address “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”). It came as Christmas marks the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebrations that are expected to bring some 32 million Catholics to Rome.

“I invite everyone, and all people of all nations … to be pilgrims of hope, silence the sound of weapons and overcome division,” said the pope, speaking on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica addressing a crowd of thousands. of people in the square below.

He called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to “achieve a just and lasting peace” and end the war that has killed tens of thousands since the all-out invasion of Moscow more than two years ago. The conflict did not stop during the holiday, as Russia did what it called a a “massive strike” targeting energy resources in Ukraine on Christmas Day.

Pope Francis renewed his call for an end to fighting in the country Israel-Hamas warcalling u human tragedy in Gaza “very bad,” and called for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

He encouraged people around the world to “tear down all the walls of separation,” and remembered children suffering from war and famine, the elderly living alone, those who fled their countries, and those who were persecuted for their faith.

Pilgrims arrive on Wednesday morning to walk through the main Holy door at the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica to celebrate Christmas. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis knocked on the door and was the first to enter, opening the 2025 Jubilee which he dedicated to hope.

Walking through the Holy Department is one of the ways the faithful can receive forgiveness, or the forgiveness of sins during the Jubilee, a quarter-century tradition that began in 1300.

“You feel so humbled when you walk in the door that when you walk through it's almost like a release, an emotional release,” said Blanca Martin, a traveler from San Diego. “… It's almost like an emotional release. , you feel like now you can let go and put everything in God's hands. Look I get emotional. It's just a beautiful thing.”

Visitors pass through security checks before entering the Holy Door, amid fresh security fears following the killings Attack on the Christmas market in Germany. Many pause to touch the door as they pass and make the sign of the cross as they enter the chapel dedicated to St. Peter, founder of the Roman Catholic Church.

Inside, the beauty of a newly restored St. Peter's Basilica it was revealed after major renovation work was done in preparation for the Jubilee Year.

One of the most important restorations is this Bernini's Baldachina canopy that sits high the tomb of Stremoving centuries of soil to reveal its gleaming gold finish. The Chairman of St. Peter, an important symbol of papal authority that dates back to 875 AD.

CBS News reporter Chis Livesay got an inside look at the restoration work in St. Peter's, which you can watch in the video below.

Christmas and Hanukkah go together, which is unusual

HanukkahThe eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, which begins this year on Christmas Day, has occurred only four times since 1900.

The juxtaposition of the calendar has inspired some religious leaders to host interfaith gatherings, such as the aa Chicanukah party held last week by several Jewish organizations in Houston, Texas, which brought together members of the city's Latino and Jewish communities for latkes, the traditional potato cake eaten on Hanukkah. , topped with guacamole and salsa.

Although Hanukkah is meant to be a joyous, celebratory holiday, rabbis note that it is happening this year wars are escalating in the Middle East and fear is increasing because of the widespread incidents of hatred against people. The holidays overlap a lot because the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and does not agree with the Gregorian calendar, which places Christmas on Dec. 25. The last time Hanukkah started on Christmas Day was 2005.

Germany's celebrations have been muted after the market attack

German festivals were darkened by a car attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday five people died, including a 9-year-old boy, and 200 people were injured. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also recorded his Christmas Day speech addressing the attack, saying “there is sadness, pain, fear and incomprehension about what happened in Magdeburg.” He urged Germans to “stand together” and that “hate and violence must not have the last word.”

A 50-year-old Saudi doctor who has been working in Germany since 2006 has been arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and wounding. X's account of the suspect describes him as a former Muslim and is full of anti-Islamic content. He criticized the authorities for failing to fight the “Islamification of Germany” and expressed support for the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

CBS News' Chris Livesay and Reuters news agency contributed reporting.