In his first Christmas address since becoming the Roman Catholic leader, Pope Francis called for an end to violence occurring worldwide and asked atheists and other religious believers to unite for the cause of peace, Reuters reported.
"I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace," Francis said, asking that everyone unite to create "homemade peace," according to Reuters.
Francis' call to atheist and all members of other religions is a different approach than previous Pope Benedict who made non-Catholics feel like "second-class believers," according to Reuters. The nod to atheists was reported by Reuters to not have been in the prepared text.
Speaking at St. Peter's Basilica to about 70,000 people, Francis also touched on the subject of saving the environment from "human greed and rapacity," Reuters reported.
In his "Urbi et Orbi," or the "to the city and world" message, the theme seemed to be world wide peace, as he sprinkled phrases like "peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace," throughout the speech, Reuters reported.
Francis also asked for "social harmony in South Sudan, where current tensions have already caused numerous victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state," Reuters reported. He added that the violence in Nigeria, Syria, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo needs to end and that he is praying for a "favorable outcome" between the Israelis and Palestinians."
"Wars shatter and hurt so many lives!" Francis said, according to Reuters, adding that the ones who suffer the most are children, elderly, battered women and the sick.
The overall message of the speech was unity and peace. The Pope also touched on the message in the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and said it is "directed at every man or woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty," Reuters reported.
You can view the complete text of the speech here.
