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Pope Benedict XVI
Each Christmas Day, the Pope delivers his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to world) address to the 1.3 billion Catholics whom he leads. Traditionally, this speech is the Catholic leader’s opportunity to bless his congregants and address publicly the pertinent conflicts in the world, setting priorities for the Vatican’s involvement in world politics.
This year, Pope Benedict XVI’s address called for the resumption of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian government officials: “May the Prince of Peace grant peace and stability to that Land where he chose to come into the world, and encourage the resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.” Additionally, the Pope called for an end to all violence, especially in Syria; this call was particularly resonate in light of the deadly Christmas Day bombing of a church in Nigeria. We, too, hope that the New Year brings a new and successful peace process, and we appreciate the Vatican’s support for negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Picture courtesy of Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi.
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