Ukrainian artist Yama Tarhonia has presented Pope Francis with a blue and yellow dove of peace made from a piece of stained glass from the Church of St Nicholas in Kyiv, which wasdamaged in a Russian attack on 20 December 2024.

The pope has earned a controversial reputation in Ukraine with his earlier remarks that relativized the responsibility of Russia’s war, encouraging Ukrainians to have the "courage" to negotiate for peace.

The latest is a special gift as Christmas draws near: a vehicle converted into a small mobile hospital to care for the inhabitants of this country devastated by war. The person in charge of delivering the vehicle where the injured can be operated on will be the pope’s almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajweski.

By subtly aligning the Church with anti-Israel narratives, Francis risks normalizing antisemitic tropes under the guise of empathy. It is a perilous path, one that must be confronted—not merely for the sake of Israel, but for the integrity of the Church itself. Evil thrives on the veneer of normality.

Pope Francis is set to open the Holy Year of the Catholic Church in St Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday evening. The 88-year-old pontiff in a solemn ceremony

I think of Gaza with great sorrow; so much cruelty, children hit by machine guns, schools and hospitals bombed,’ pontiff says - Anadolu Ajansı

Pope Francis called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Angelus prayer on Sunday, condemning the "cruelty" of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. "Let the weapons fall silent and let the Christmas carols ring out!

Pope Francis on Sunday, December 22, once again reminded the world of Ukraine's suffering from the ongoing war and called for a "Christmas ceasefire" across the globe. — Ukrinform.

Francis delivered his Sunday Angelus from inside due to a cold and as a precaution ahead of a busy Christmas period.

Putting aggressors and victims on the same level is "ethically and morally wrong," said commenter Anton Gerashchenko in response to the pope's words.

“The president thanked the pope for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to advance human rights and protect religious freedoms,” the statement read. “President Biden also graciously accepted His Holiness Pope Francis’ invitation to visit the Vatican next month.”