Pope Francis issued a heartfelt plea for peace during the Sunday Angelus on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, urging international leaders to broker ceasefires in conflict zones by Christmas.

“I appeal to governments and the international community that a ceasefire may be reached on all war fronts by the Christmas celebrations,” the Pope said on Sunday from the window of the Apostolic Palace, addressing pilgrims and visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

The Pontiff specifically called for continued prayers for peace in “tormented Ukraine, in the Middle East — Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and now Syria — in Myanmar, in Sudan, and wherever people suffer from war and violence.”

A call to reflect on Mary

Pope Francis spoke about the Annunciation during his catechetical reflection on this Marian feast day, describing it as “one of the most important and beautiful moments in the history of humanity.”

Drawing a parallel to sacred art, he explained: “Just as in the scene of the creation of Adam painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, where the finger of the heavenly Father touches the finger of man, here too, the human and divine encounter each other.”

The Pope encouraged everyone to “open our hearts and minds to the Lord Jesus, born of Mary Immaculate” as the Church prepares for Jubilee 2025, recommending confession as “the sacrament that can really help us open our hearts to the Lord who always, always forgives us.”

Christmas Spirit at the Vatican

St. Peter’s Square is adorned with its annual Christmas decorations, including a towering, nearly 100-foot spruce tree from Ledro, Italy, and a Nativity scene from the town of Grado that incorporates elements of the Venetian lagoon’s traditional fishermen’s huts.

These symbols of the season were officially illuminated during a ceremony on Saturday evening.

According to recent Vatican custom, the Christmas tree and a large Nativity scene displayed beside it will remain in St. Peter’s Square through Jan. 12, 2025, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.