In an unusually direct appeal delivered during a traditionally solemn service, the pope focused on the plight of civilians living in makeshift shelters amid ongoing genocidal war in the Palestinian enclave.
Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.
“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he asked.
Leo, who was elected in May by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, is known for a quieter and more diplomatic style and typically avoids overt political references in sermons.
Meanwhile, the pope has repeatedly lamented the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza in recent weeks and said last month that any resolution to the decades-long conflict imposed by the Israeli regime must include the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of intense Israeli bombardment and military operations, but humanitarian agencies say aid entering Gaza remains insufficient, leaving nearly the entire population homeless.
In Thursday’s service, attended by thousands in St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo broadened his remarks to address global homelessness and the destruction caused by wars across the world.
“Fragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” said the pope.
“Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths,” he said.
Later on Thursday, the pope is due to deliver his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing, which traditionally addresses major global conflicts.