Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the “cruelty” of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.

Pope Francis, who has just turned 88 and has been suffering from a heavy cold, will lead the regular Sunday Angelus prayer from inside his residence as a precaution, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday.

Francis urged the Vatican inner circle to bless more and talk less badly of others. It wasn’t the first time he had used the occasion to scold them.

Pope Francis has told Vatican bureaucrats to stop speaking ill of one another, calling gossip "an evil that destroys social life."

If the 2024 film “ Conclave ” dramatized the Vatican's inner workings with intrigue, Pope Francis delivered something of a real-life sequel on Saturday, urging Vatican bureaucrats to cut the backstabbing and embrace humility during his annual Christmas address.

The claim stems from the celebration of the 2025 Jubilee, a Roman Catholic tradition that happens every 25 years.

Pope Francis delivered Christmas messages at the Vatican, warning against gossip, while the Holy See announced he is experiencing cold symptoms.

Pope Francis, who has been suffering from a heavy cold, will lead the regular Sunday Angelus prayers from his residence as a precaution, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday. The decision was taken in view of cold weather in Rome and the pope's commitments in the days leading up to Christmas,

Pope Francis will lead the Angelus prayer, traditionally spoken by the pontiff on Sundays, from the chapel of his home in the Vatican as he is struggling with a cold, the Holy See has said. Due to "severe cold and the cold symptoms that have been occurring in recent days,