Paris
\nPope Francis has warned that the world is becoming so desensitised to crises and suffering that they are now happening while hardly being noticed.
\nIn his annual Christmas Day message, the pontiff pointed to ongoing turmoil in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, as well as in areas of Africa, Europe and Asia.
\nHe also said the effects of the pandemic threatened efforts to resolve conflicts on an international level.
\nHe spoke outdoors again this year after making his speech indoors last year.
\nThousands of Catholic faithful – wearing face masks amid Covid precautions – watched in St Peter\u2019s Square at the Vatican as the Pope delivered his Urbi et Orbi address from the balcony of the Basilica.
\nPope Francis warned about the social consequences of the pandemic, saying there was \u201ca growing tendency to withdraw… to stop making an effort to encounter others and do things together\u201d.
\nHe said that \u201con the international level too there is the risk of avoiding dialogue, the risk that this complex crisis will lead to taking shortcuts rather than setting out on the longer path\u201d to resolve conflicts.
\n\u201cWe continue to witness a growing number of conflicts, crises and disagreements,\u201d he said. \u201cThese never seem to end and by now we hardly even notice them.
\n\u201cWe have become so used to them that immense tragedies are being passed over in silence.\u201d
\nHe singled out Syria, Iraq and Yemen \u201cwhere an enormous tragedy overlooked by everyone has silently gone on for years\u201d. He also urged people to keep in mind continuing tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, and the \u201cunprecedented\u201d economic and social crisis gripping Lebanon.
\nTurning to Asia, the Pope asked God to comfort the people of Afghanistan \u201cwho for more than 40 years have been sorely tested by conflicts\u201d, and to \u201csustain the people of Myanmar where intolerance and violence not infrequently target the Christian community and its places of worship\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Paris Pope Francis has warned that the world is becoming so desensitised to crises and suffering that they are now happening while hardly being noticed. In his annual Christmas Day message, the pontiff pointed to ongoing turmoil in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, as well as in areas of Africa, Europe and Asia. He also said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[2233,2149,2232],"class_list":{"0":"post-235367","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world","7":"tag-ignoring","8":"tag-pope-francis","9":"tag-tragedies"},"yoast_head":"\n