At the Angelus on the last Sunday of the year, celebrated on the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Leo XIV issued a strong appeal for peace and for families suffering because of war. Speaking to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, he asked for prayers especially for children, the elderly and the most fragile, entrusting them to the Holy Family of Nazareth.
In his reflection, the Pope recalled the Gospel account of the Flight into Egypt, emphasizing how the joy of Christ’s birth was overshadowed from the beginning by violence and fear. He described King Herod as a figure blinded by the obsession with power and privilege, unable to recognize God’s saving work.
“The world, unfortunately, always has its Herods,” the Pope said, referring to modern myths of success at any cost and power without scruples. Against this hardness of heart, the Holy Family stands as a shelter and a source of hope. Pope Leo XIV concluded by urging families today to protect Gospel values through prayer, dialogue, faithfulness and daily acts of love.