Pope Francis says 'hearts are in Bethlehem' where Jesus is 'rejected by the futile logic of war'

Pope Francis said in his Christmas Eve Midnight Mass homily that "our hearts are in Bethlehem," where Jesus was born and is currently being "rejected" due to Israel's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, and in his Christmas Day homily on Monday, he called the children affected by war the "little Jesuses of today."

"Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world," the pontiff said Sunday evening, according to the Vatican. The pope was referring to how Luke 2:7 states that there was no room in the inn for Jesus and his family, so they stayed in a manger.

Many Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem have been tapered down amid the ongoing war less than 50 miles away in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority has full civilian and security control of Bethlehem in the West Bank while Gaza is under the control of Hamas, the U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization that launched an attack against Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping approximately 240 others.

In his Christmas Day homily, the pontiff said that the "Prince of this world" is "sowing the seeds of death."

"We see this played out in Bethlehem, where the birth of the Saviour is followed by the slaughter of the innocents. How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today, these little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war," Francis said.

The pope has previously asked for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. 

The sermon was similar to the one he gave last Christmas, where the pope lamented what he called the "senseless war" in Ukraine.

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.