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.

On his wheelchair, Pope Francis began the celebration of Christmas by opening the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, kicking off the 2025 Holy Year. “The steps we now take are the steps of the whole church,” the pope said.

Pope Francis on Tuesday opened the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, marking the official beginning of the Jubilee year of the Catholic Church. In a Christmas Eve ceremony rich with symbolism,

Pope Francis opened the "Holy Door" of St Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve on Tuesday, launching the Jubilee year of Catholic celebrations set to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome.Pope Francis then presided over the Christmas Eve mass in St Peter's,

The 88-year-old Pope Francis presided over Mass during the Night on Christmas Eve after opening the Holy Door to officially start the 2025 Jubilee Year.

If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger, we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever!’

Opening the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, Pope Francis inaugurates a jubilee year expected to draw 32 million visitors to Rome.

ANALYSIS: Typically, cardinals are assigned to a diocese or a role in the Roman Curia. But due to a variety of circumstances, others may wait years before they’re given some work to do.

In a sermon focused on the virtue of hope, which is also the theme of the Holy Year, the pontiff said hope "is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness".

The 88-year-old pontiff opened the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The pope inaugurated the Catholic Church's historic 2025 Jubilee of "Hope" on Christmas Eve at the Vatican in traditional ceremonies before he addressed thousands of Catholic faithful.