Pope Francis renews calls for Israel-Hamas ‘ceasefire on every front’ in annual address to diplomats

Pope Francis, speaking about conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine in his yearly speech to diplomats on Monday, said that “indiscriminately striking” civilians is a war crime because it violates international humanitarian law and called for a “ceasefire on every front, including Lebanon.” Francis made his comments in a 45-minute-long address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, which is sometimes called his “state of the world” speech.