Pope Leo XIV called for 24 hours of peace worldwide on Christmas Day. “I once again make this appeal to all people of good will: that, at least on the feast of the birth of the Savior, one day of peace may be respected,” he said, addressing media on Tuesday, Dec. 23, from Castel Gandolfo. On Christmas Day he singled out Russian attacks on Ukraine: “Truly, among the things that cause me great sadness in these days is the fact that Russia has apparently refused the request for a Christmas truce…. Perhaps they will listen to us, and there will be 24 hours—one full day of peace throughout the world.”
Also on Dec. 23, he condemned the recent approval in his home state of Illinois for a law allowing assisted suicide for adults with terminal illnesses and a prognosis of six months or less, starting from September 2026. The Pope explained that he had already addressed the issue “very explicitly” with Governor J.B. Pritzker during an audience at the Vatican last November: “At that time, the bill was already on his desk. We were very clear about the need to respect the sacredness of life, from beginning to end. And unfortunately … he decided to sign that bill. I am very disappointed by this,” the Pope said. He then invited everyone, especially during this Christmas season, “to reflect on the nature of human life, on the value of human life. God became human like us in order to show us what it truly means to live human life.” The Pope’s hope and prayer is that “respect for life may grow once again at every moment of human existence, from conception to natural death.”
