AFP Asia Business

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the “courage” to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.The US pope, who was elected by fellow cardinals in May after the death of his predecessor pope Francis, also condemned the “senselessness” of war and the “rubble and open wounds” it leaves behind.Speaking to a crowd of some 26,000 people in St Peter’s Square, the pope called for “solidarity with and acceptance of those in need” in Europe — a possible reference to growing anti-immigration sentiment on the continent.”Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine,” he said.”May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue,” he added.Russian and Ukrainian officials have spoken separately in recent weeks to US negotiators about proposals to end the war started by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Tens of thousands have been killed, eastern Ukraine decimated and millions forced to flee their homes.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week outlined key points of a plan to end the conflict after US talks.But Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far shown no willingness to compromise, doubling down on his hardline demands.- ‘Return of life’ -In his first Christmas homily as pontiff, Leo addressed the dismal conditions in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters in wintry conditions weeks after a fragile ceasefire took hold.”How… can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold,” the pope said, adding that the territory’s inhabitants “have nothing left and have lost everything.”The UN has said an estimated 1.3 million people currently need shelter assistance in Gaza and has warned of the increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures dip.”The war, in all its forms, has been harsh on everyone living on this land,” Elias al-Jalda, a Palestinian Christian from Gaza, told AFP after attending a Christmas mass at Gaza’s only Roman Catholic Church late on Wednesday.”We hope this year will mark the beginning of a new phase — one defined by a complete end to the war and the return of life to Gaza,” said Jalda, one of dozens attending the mass.- ‘Compassion and reconciliation’ -Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, addressed the issue of immigration directly in her Christmas sermon Thursday.”Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us,”  said the future archbishop of Canterbury.”We who are Christians then hold fast to joy as an act of resistance,” she added.Britain’s King Charles III called for “compassion and reconciliation” at a time of “division” across the world in his annual Christmas Day message broadcast.”With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong,” he said.”It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died.”As well as being king of the United Kingdom, Charles is head of the 56 countries that make up the Commonwealth.- Joy in Bethlehem -In Bethlehem, the Christian community celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years as the occupied West Bank city emerges from the shadow of the war in Gaza.Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass on Wednesday night at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.In Syria, Christmas lights illuminated Damascus’s Old City despite the Christian community’s fears of violence after a deadly attack in June.Around the district, home to several important churches, red baubles hung from trees, shopkeepers put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddled warm chestnuts.”Syria deserves joy and for us to be happy, and to hope for a new future,” said student Loris Aasaf, 20.- Trump’s Christmas message -In the United States, President Donald Trump issued a starkly different message to those of religious leaders.He wished a Merry Christmas “to everyone, including the radical left-wing scum”, referring to Democrats.In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a sombre message after the deadly attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14.”After the terror inflicted on Jewish Australia celebrating Hanukkah and Bondi Beach, we feel the weight of sorrow in our hearts,” he saidburs-jj/rh

Saint Peter’s, one of the world’s oldest rock churches, is a sacred rallying point for the isolated Christians still left in quake-hit Antakya in southeastern Turkey, the city known in ancient times as Antioch. “Since the earthquake, our community has scattered,” said worshipper Mari Ibri.”Those who remain are trying to regroup. We each had our own church but, like mine, they have been destroyed.”The landscape around the cave remains scarred by the disaster nearly three years ago, when two earthquakes devastated Hatay province on February 6, 2023 and its jewel, Antakya, the gateway to Syria.Sad fields of rubble and the silhouettes of cracked, abandoned buildings still scar the city — all enveloped in the ever-present grey dust.Since the earthquakes, Antakya city has emptied and the Christian community has shrunk from 350 families to fewer than 90, Father Dimitri Dogum told AFP.”Before, Christmas at our house was grandiose,” Ibri recalled.”Our churches were full. People came from everywhere.”Ibri’s own church in the city centre was rendered inaccessible by the earthquakes.Now she and other worshippers gather at the cave on December 24 — Christmas Eve in some Christian calendars.- ‘Saint Peter’s first service’ -It is here, they believe, that Peter, the disciple Jesus assigned to found the Christian church, held his first religious service in the 1st century.The rock church was later enlarged and 11th-century crusaders added a pale stone facade.It is now a museum, opened to the faithful only on rare occasions.Christmas Eve is one.The morning sun was still glowing red in the sky when Fadi Hurigil, leader of Antakya’s Orthodox Christian community, and his assistants prepared the service.They draped the stone altar and unpacked candles, holy oil, chalices and plastic chairs.Out in front they placed figurines of Christ and three saints near a bottle of rough red wine, bread baskets and presents for the children.The sound system played a recording of the bells of Saint Peter and Paul church, which now stands empty in Antakya city centre.”That was my church,” said Ibri, crossing herself. “They recorded the peals.”Around one hundred worshippers soon squeezed into the incense-filled cave and at least as many congregated outside.A large police contingent looked on. Sniffer dogs had already inspected the cave and esplanade.”It’s normal,” said Iliye, a 72-year-old from Iskenderun, 60 kilometres (40 miles) further north. “We’re a minority. It’s to protect us.”The slow chanting of Orthodox hymns heralded the start of the two-hour service, conducted entirely in chants sung in Arabic and Turkish by Dogum and another cleric.”It’s very moving for us to be here in the world’s first cave church, where the first disciples gathered,” the priest said.”There used to be crowds here,” he added.”In 2022, there were at least 750 people outside, Christians and non-Christians alike.” Since the earthquakes, the gathering has been much smaller, although it is now starting to grow again.At the end of the service, when Christmas carols fill the air, Dogum and Hurigil cut a huge rectangular cake. The Nativity scene at its centre — Mary, baby Jesus, the ox and the ass — was edged with whipped cream.”There’s the religious dimension but it’s also important that people can gather here again,” a worshipper said.”After February 6, our fellow citizens scattered. But they’re starting to come back. We’re happy about that.”

Pope Leo XIV condemned the “senselessness” of war and the “open wounds” it leaves behind, as he delivered his first Christmas message on Thursday after a year marked by conflict but also hopes for peace in Gaza and Ukraine.In Bethlehem, the Christian community celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years as the occupied West Bank city emerged from the shadow of the war in Gaza.Pope Leo, who was elected in May after the death of his predecessor Pope Francis, spoke of Gaza during a mass in St Peter’s basilica, saying: “How… can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold”.”Fragile is the flesh of defenceless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” the pope said at the mass in St Peter’s Basilica.Heavy rains have battered Gaza in recent days — compounding the harsh conditions of the Palestinian territory’s residents, nearly all of whom were displaced during the war.The UN has said that an estimated 1.3 million people currently need shelter assistance in Gaza and has warned of the increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures dip.”The war, in all its forms, has been harsh on everyone living on this land,” Elias al-Jalda, a Palestinian Christian from Gaza, told AFP after attending a Christmas mass at Gaza’s only Roman Catholic Church late on Wednesday.”We hope this year will mark the beginning of a new phase — one defined by a complete end to the war and the return of life to Gaza,” said Jalda, one of dozens attending the mass.Rami al-Far, another attendee, said: “Our celebrations are very limited. We try to live as best we can with what we have.”- Joy in Bethlehem -Hundreds of worshippers also gathered for mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Wednesday night as the Palestinian city ushered in its first festive Christmas during the Gaza war.Throughout the conflict that began with Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, a sombre tone had marked Christmases in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.But celebrations returned Wednesday with parades and music in the West Bank city, as a fragile truce held in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people face winter in makeshift tents.With pews of the Church of the Nativity filled long before midnight, many stood or sat on the floor for the traditional mass to usher in Christmas Day.At 11:15 pm (2115 GMT) organ music rang out as a procession of dozens of clergymen entered, followed by Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who blessed the crowd with signs of the cross. Hundreds took part in the parade down Bethlehem’s narrow Star Street on Wednesday, while a dense crowd massed in the square.”Today is full of joy because we haven’t been able to celebrate because of the war,” said Milagros Anstas, 17.Men dressed as Santa Claus sold toffee apples and toys as families took photographs in front of a nativity scene framed by a giant star. As darkness fell, multi-coloured lights shone over Manger Square and a towering Christmas tree glittered next to the Church of the Nativity.The basilica dates back to the fourth century and was built on top of a grotto where Christians believe Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago.- Hope in Syria -In Syria, Christmas lights illuminated Damascus’s Old City despite the Christian community’s fears of violence after a deadly attack in June.Around the district, home to several important churches, red baubles hung from trees, shopkeepers put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddled warm chestnuts.”Syria deserves joy and for us to be happy, and to hope for a new future,” said student Loris Aasaf, 20.- California storm -In stark contrast to the messages of religious leaders, US President Donald Trump wished a Merry Christmas “to everyone, including the radical left-wing scum”, referring to Democrats.Severe weather disrupted the holiday season in California where authorities, fearing flooding, have declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and ordered evacuations.In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a sombre message after the deadly attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14.”After the terror inflicted on Jewish Australia celebrating Hanukkah and Bondi Beach, we feel the weight of sorrow in our hearts,” he said