A file image of King Charles III. Photo: Pool via REUTERS

Candles with the pictures of Pope Francis are seen under the statue of late Pope John Paul II, outside Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, on February 19, 2025, where the Pontiff is hospitalized since February 14, 2025
| Photo Credit: ap

Pope Francis is alert and still making jokes despite having double pneumonia, Italy’s Prime Minister said Wednesday (February 19, 2025) after visiting the 88-year-old pontiff in hospital.

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with bronchitis last Friday, but the Holy See revealed on Tuesday that he had developed pneumonia in both of his lungs.

The development caused widespread alarm over the Pope’s health, after a series of issues in recent years, from colon and hernia surgery to problems walking.

“I was very happy to find him alert and responsive. We joked as always. He hasn’t lost his proverbial sense of humour,” Giorgia Meloni said in a statement after her visit.

Amid widespread speculation online, including reports of his death, the Vatican issued an early bulletin Wednesday saying he had spent a “peaceful night” in the hospital’s papal suite and had breakfast.

“The pope is breathing on his own. His heart is holding up very well,” a source in the Vatican added.

Francis has been speaking to friends by telephone, has been out of bed and sitting in a chair, and working on and off, the source said.

‘Complex picture’

The Argentine Pope, who has been head of the Catholic Church since 2013, keeps a busy schedule despite his age and ailments, and this year is busy with celebrations of the holy Jubilee year.

But he had struggled to read his homilies in the days before his hospital admission.

After an initial diagnosis of bronchitis, the Holy See revealed on Tuesday evening that “the laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture”.

A “polymicrobial infection” which has come on top of “bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and which required the use of cortisone antibiotic therapy, makes therapeutic treatment more complex”, the Vatican said.

“The follow-up chest CT scan which the Holy Father underwent this afternoon… demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy,” it added.

Bronchiectasis is when the bronchi, or air passages, thicken due to infection or another condition.

The pontiff had part of his right lung cut away when he was 21, after developing pleurisy that almost killed him.

The Vatican has cancelled a papal audience on Saturday and said the pope would not attend a mass on Sunday, although it has yet to announce plans for his weekly Angelus prayer, which is held on Sunday at midday.

‘Vital energy’

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, called on all parishes in the Italian capital to pray for the pope’s recovery.

Candles, some with pictures of the pope on them, have been set at the bottom of a statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital, where pilgrims have been coming to pray.

“I hope he recovers as soon as possible because this is the Jubilee year and he has so much to do for young people, for everyone, it’s very sad,” said Annamaria Santoro, an Italian woman whose son was in the same hospital.

The Vatican published drawings made by children in the hospital for Francis, as well as letters from parents asking him to pray for their sick offspring.

Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro, who is close to Francis, told Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily the pope could be in hospital for two to three weeks.

“It is clear that the situation is delicate, but I have not perceived any form of alarmism,” he said.

The pope “has an extraordinary vital energy. He is not a person who lets himself go, he is not a resigned man. And that is a very positive element, we have seen that in the past”, he said.

The Pope has left open the option of resigning were he to become unable to carry out his duties.

But in a memoir last year Francis said it was just a “distant possibility” that would be justified only in the event of “a serious physical impediment”.

Vatican City:

Pope Francis, who was admitted to hospital last week, has developed pneumonia in both of his lungs, the Vatican said Tuesday, adding that the 88-year-old was in “good spirits”.

“The laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture”, the Vatican said in a statement.

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital last Friday for bronchitis, but the Vatican on Monday said it was changing his treatment following tests.

It said Tuesday that a “polymicrobial infection” which has come on top of “bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and which required the use of cortisone antibiotic therapy, makes therapeutic treatment more complex”.

“The follow-up chest CT scan which the Holy Father underwent this afternoon… demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy,” it said.

The pontiff had part of his right lung cut away when he was 21, after developing pleurisy that almost killed him.

The Vatican had already cancelled a papal audience on Saturday and said he would not attend a mass on Sunday, although it has yet to announce plans for his weekly Angelus prayer, held on Sunday.

“Nevertheless, Pope Francis is in good spirits,” it added.

The pope spent his fifth day in hospital alternating rest with prayer and reading texts, the Vatican said.

Pilgrims pray

Francis, the head of the Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted to hospital after struggling for several days to read his texts in public.

It is the latest of a series of health issues for the Jesuit, who has undergone hernia and colon surgery since 2021 and uses a wheelchair due to pain in his knee.

Among the pilgrims and tourists gathered in Saint Peter’s Square on Tuesday, many said they were praying for the pope’s recovery.

“I hope that he’s getting better soon,” Birgit Jungreuthmayer, a 48-year-old Austrian tourist, told AFP.

Others gathered outside the Gemelli hospital, holding candles or saying prayers.

“I came to say a prayer for the pope so that he may recover soon. I send him my best wishes”, said Jacqueline Troncoso, a Bolivian resident in Rome.

The Vatican published drawings done by children in the hospital for Francis, as well as letters from parents asking him to pray for their sick offspring.

Francis “gives thanks for the closeness he feels at this time and asks, with a grateful heart, that we continue to pray for him”, it said.

Active schedule

Despite his health troubles, Francis remains a very active pontiff, with a busy weekly schedule and regular overseas trips.

In September 2024, he completed a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour, the longest of his papacy by duration and distance.

A source within the pope’s entourage had told AFP Monday that Francis was admitted after a “very busy” two weeks, during which “he was weakened” — but insisted there was no alarm.

Francis followed last Sunday’s mass on television from hospital and sent a written address for the Angelus.

“I would have liked to be among you but, as you know, I am here at the Gemelli hospital because I still need some treatment for my bronchitis,” Francis wrote.

The Jesuit has left open the option of resigning if he became unable to carry out his duties.

His predecessor, Benedict XVI, stunned the world in 2013 by becoming the first pope since the Middle Ages to step down, citing his ailing health.

But in a memoir published last year, Francis wrote that he did “not have any cause serious enough to make me think of resigning”.

Stepping down is a “distant possibility” that would be justified only in the event of “a serious physical impediment”, he wrote.

In an autobiography published last month, he said that despite his ailments, “I carry on”.

“The reality is, quite simply, that I am old,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rome:

Pope Francis, hospitalised for bronchitis four days ago, faces a “complex clinical picture”, the Vatican said on Monday, indicating that the 88-year-old’s stay will be longer than initially believed.

After initially cancelling events through till Monday, the Vatican said the pope’s weekly Wednesday audience would not go ahead either.

“The results of the tests carried out in recent days and today have demonstrated a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract that has led to a further change in treatment,” the Vatican said in a statement.

“All the tests carried out until now are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require adequate hospitalisation.”

A Vatican source told AFP the pope was receiving oxygen.

A separate source in the pope’s entourage had earlier insisted there was “no alarmism” following his Friday admission to Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters as the new health update was published Monday that he was in “good humour”.

But the developments will raise fresh concerns about the Argentine pontiff, who has suffered increasing health issues in recent years.

‘Weakened’ 

Before his admission, after his usual Friday morning meetings, Francis had admitted to difficulty breathing and had asked aides several times to read his speeches aloud on his behalf.

At his weekly general audience last Wednesday, he said he “cannot yet” read his own speeches, adding with a smile: “I hope that next time I can.”

A source within the pope’s entourage told AFP on Monday that Francis was admitted after a “very busy” two weeks, during which “he was weakened”.

But the source added: “There is no alarmism.”

Earlier, Bruni said Francis had passed a third “peaceful” night in hospital and on Monday morning had eaten breakfast and read the newspapers.

The pontiff, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, has been plagued by health issues but continues to maintain a very busy schedule.

He pulled out of a Good Friday event last year after catching what the Vatican called a “light flu” but went on to lead Easter services as planned.

A year earlier, in March 2023, Francis was admitted to hospital for three nights with bronchitis, which was cured with antibiotics.

Another bout of bronchitis caused him to cancel a December 2023 visit to Dubai to participate in the United Nations COP28 climate change conference.

The pope also underwent a hernia operation in June 2023 and in 2021 underwent surgery for a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.

He has been using a wheelchair since 2022 because of persistent knee pain and uses a cane during rare moments standing up.

Francis has also fallen a couple of times in the past few months, bruising his forearm in January and sporting a large bruise on his right jaw in December, caused by toppling from his bed.

Yet despite his health troubles, Francis remains an active pontiff.

In September 2024, he completed a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour, the longest of his papacy by duration and distance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

The war of words between US Border Czar Tom Homan and Pope Francis has escalated, with Homan firing back at the Vatican’s leader over his criticism of President Donald Trump’s deportation policies. In a televised interview, Homan accused Pope Francis of hypocrisy, pointing to the Vatican’s own robust security measures, including a wall around the Vatican.

“They have a wall around the Vatican,” Homan said. “If you illegally enter the Vatican, the crime is serious. You’ll be charged with a serious crime and jailed. So he can protect the Vatican where he lives. He can build a wall where he lives, but the American people are not allowed that.”

Homan also called on Pope Francis to focus on addressing issues within the Catholic Church, saying “The Pope ought to stick to the Catholic Church and fix that. That’s a mess.”

NEW: Border Czar Tom Homan responds to Catholic outcry over Trump’s deportation operation, calls out the Pope for living behind massive 30 foot walls.

Homan told the Pope to fix the Catholic church before he starts criticizing the United States.

“They have a wall around the… pic.twitter.com/YTRoZ7DIH5

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 25, 2025

Pope Francis has been a vocal advocate for migrant rights, criticising restrictive immigration policies. Nearly a decade after calling Trump “not Christian” for his plans to build a US-Mexico border wall, the pontiff reiterated his stance during an appearance on the Italian talk show Che Tempo Che Fa.

“If true, this will be a disgrace,” Francis said of Trump’s deportation pledges. “It makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill. This won’t do! This is not the way to solve things. That’s not how things are resolved.”

The Pope’s comments came as the Trump administration has intensified deportation operations, with immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) arresting 538 people on Thursday and 593 on Friday, some of whom were flown out of the country on military planes. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt touted the efforts as part of the administration’s “largest deportation operation in history,” aligning with Trump’s campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration.

The exchange between Homan and Pope Francis highlights the deep divisions over immigration policy in the United States. As the Trump administration continues to enforce stricter immigration rules, critics argue that the policies are inhumane and go against American values. Supporters, on the other hand, argue that the policies are necessary to maintain national security and enforce the rule of law.
 

Vatican City:

Pope Francis warned Wednesday against a “chauvinistic mentality” in the Catholic Church, as he promoted a nun to head the executive administration of the tiny Vatican City state.

“People often complain that there are not enough nuns in roles of responsibility, in the diocese, in the (Roman) Curia and the universities. It’s true,” the 88-year-old pontiff said.

“We must overcome a clerical and chauvinistic mentality.”

He highlighted the promotion of Sister Raffaella Petrini, who will take over as president of the governorate of the Vatican City state in March. She is currently secretary general.

“Thank God, nuns are ahead and know how to do things better than men,” Francis told a meeting of the Hilton Foundation, a charitable organisation which supports education for nuns.

He said not enough money had been invested in nuns’ education, “because it is thought that nuns, and women, are second class.”

Their work “requires trained and competent people”, Francis said, adding: “The mission of nuns is to serve the least fortunate, and not to be someone’s servants.”

Campaigners have in the past condemned as “modern slavery” the treatment of nuns employed in the Vatican and elsewhere, who work as unpaid cooks and cleaners in the homes of priests, bishops or cardinals.

Francis earlier this month appointed Sister Simona Brambilla to lead the Vatican’s office that oversees the world’s Catholic religious orders and congregations.

Francis has been naming women to more elevated positions within the Holy See since becoming head of the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics in 2013, but progress is slow.

The percentage of women working in the Holy See and Vatican City has risen from around 19 percent in 2013 to 23.4 percent in 2023, according to data published by Vatican News.

However, women still cannot receive Holy Orders, and repeated calls by some for women to be permitted to become priests have come to nothing.

Some accuse the Argentine pontiff of having outdated views of the roles women can do.

“Don’t forget that since the Garden of Eden they have been in charge,” he said Wednesday in reference to the Biblical story of how Adam and Eve were thrown out of paradise after she defied God’s order not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and persuaded Adam to eat it too.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pope Francis waves during the Angelus noon prayer on the occasion of the Epiphany day from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on January 6, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

Pope Francis on Monday (January 6, 2025) named the first woman to head a major Vatican office, appointing an Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church’s religious orders.

The appointment marks a major step in Francis’ aim to give women more leadership roles in governing the church. While women have been named to No. 2 spots in some Vatican offices, never before has a woman been named prefect of a dicastery or congregation of the Holy See Curia, the central governing organ of the Catholic Church.

The historic nature of Brambilla’s appointment was confirmed by Vatican Media, which headlined its report “Sister Simona Brambilla is the first woman prefect in the Vatican.”

The office is one of the most important in the Vatican. Known officially as the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, it is responsible for every religious order, from the Jesuits and Franciscans to smaller newer movements.

In an indication of the novelty of the appointment, and the theological implications involved, Francis simultaneously named as a co-leader, or “pro-prefect,” a cardinal: Ángel Fernández Artime, a Salesian.

But the appointment, announced in the Vatican daily bulletin, lists Brambilla first as “prefect” and Fernández second as her co-leader, which theologically is necessary since the prefect must be able to celebrate Mass and perform other sacramental functions that currently can only be done by men.

Brambilla, 59, is a member of the Consolata Missionaries religious order and had served as the No. 2 in the religious orders department since last year. She takes over from the retiring Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, 77.

Francis made Brambilla’s appointment possible with his 2022 reform of the Holy See’s founding constitution, which allowed laypeople, including women, to head a dicastery and become prefects.

Brambilla, a nurse, worked as a missionary in Mozambique and led her Consolata order as superior from 2011-2023, when Francis made her secretary of the religious orders department.

Her appointment is the latest move by Francis to show by example how women can take leadership roles within the Catholic hierarchy, albeit without allowing them to be ordained as priests.

Catholic women do much of the church’s work in schools, hospitals and passing down the faith to future generations. But they have long complained of second-class status in an institution that reserves the priesthood for men.

Francis has upheld the ban on female priests and tamped down hopes that women could be ordained as deacons.

But there has been a marked increase in the percentage of women working in the Vatican during his papacy, including in leadership positions, from 19.3% in 2013 to 23.4% today, according to statistics reported by Vatican News. In the Curia alone, the percentage of women is 26%.

Among the women holding leadership positions are Sister Raffaella Petrini, the first-ever female secretary general of the Vatican City State, responsible for the territory’s health care system, police force and main source of revenue, the Vatican Museums, which are led by a laywoman, Barbara Jatta.

Another nun, Sister Alessandra Smerilli, is the No. 2 in the Vatican development office while several women have been appointed to under-secretary positions, including the French nun, Sister Nathalie Becquart, in the synod of bishops’ office.

Vatican City:

Pope Francis on Monday named the first woman to lead a major Vatican department, appointing an Italian sister to take charge of the office that oversees the world’s Catholic religious orders.

Sister Simona Brambilla, 59, will lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. She replaces Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, a Brazilian prelate who had led the office since 2011.

Francis has elevated women to leadership roles at the Vatican throughout his 11-year papacy, naming a range of women to second-in-command positions at various offices.

But he had not yet appointed a woman to lead one of the offices of the Holy See, the internationally recognised sovereign entity that oversees the global Catholic Church.

Brambilla was named as “prefect” of the Vatican office. Francis also named Spanish Cardinal Angel Fernández Artime as “pro-prefect” of the department.

The Vatican press office said Brambilla would be leading the department, but did not immediately offer details on how the two officials would split duties.

Among other appointments, Francis has previously named women to number two positions in the Vatican’s development office, its family life office, and its press office.

He also appointed Barbara Jatta as the first woman to lead the Vatican Museums in 2016.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pope Francis gestures on the day he delivers his traditional Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi speech to the city and the world from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, December 25, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Pope Francis called Wednesday (December 25, 2024) for “arms to be silenced” around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza.

He used his traditional message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to call for talks for a just peace in Ukraine as the country was pummelled by 170 Russian missiles and drones in a Christmas morning barrage Kyiv branded as “inhumane”.

His voice breathless, the 88-year-old pontiff also appealed for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the freeing of Israeli hostages held there by Hamas.

“I think of the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave,” he told thousands of the faithful gathered in front of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome for the “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world”) address.

“May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war.”

Pope Francis also extended his call for peace to Sudan, which has been ravaged by 20 months of brutal civil war and where millions are under the threat of famine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky railed at Russia’s attempt to take out his country’s battered power grid, with one energy worker killed in the 13th major attack on the system this year.

“Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack,” he said. “What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 attack drones.”

Ukraine has been marking Christmas on December 25 for the past two years rather than on January 7, when most Orthodox believers celebrate, as a snub to Moscow.

However, Russia said five people were killed in Ukrainian strikes on its territory overnight, including one by a downed drone in North Ossetia in the Caucasus.

‘Limited joy’ in Bethlehem

The feast day was also marred by tragedy when an Azerbaijan Airlines jet carrying 67 people from Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny crashed in western Kazakhstan, officials said. Thirty-two survivors have been reported but 35 others are feared dead.

Christmas celebrations were also muted in the biblical birthplace of Jesus, the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Since the war in Gaza began, the Palestinian town has done away with its giant Christmas tree and the elaborate decorations that normally draw throngs of tourists.

“This year we limited our joy,” Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told AFP.

The Latin patriarch, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told a small crowd there on Tuesday that he had just returned from Gaza, where he “saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster”.

“But I also saw life — they don’t give up. So you should not give up either. Never.”

At Manger Square, in the heart of Bethlehem, a group of scouts held a parade that broke the silence.

“We want life, not death,” read banners carried by them and “Stop the Gaza genocide now!”

Gaza and Syria

About 1,100 Christians live in Gaza, with hundreds gathering at a church there to pray for an end to the war, as Hamas and Israel traded accusations over delays in finalising a ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

“This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction,” said George al-Sayegh, who has had to take refuge for weeks in the 12th-century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City.

In a message to Christians all over the world, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked them for supporting Israel’s fight against the “forces of evil”.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, hundreds of people took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest the burning of a Christmas tree in a Syrian town, just over two weeks after Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

“If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore,” said a demonstrator who gave his name as George.

‘Peace on earth’

In Germany, Christmas was also a grim affair for many families after a deadly attack at a market, prompting President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to issue a message of healing.

“Hatred and violence must not have the final word,” he said.

In the U.K., head of state King Charles III used his annual Christmas message to thank medics who have helped him and his daughter-in-law Princess Catherine in their fight against cancer this year.

He also called for “peace on earth” and an end to conflicts around the world.

In Buenos Aires, a Christmas solidarity dinner for the homeless fed around three thousand people at a time when more than half of Argentina’s population is affected by poverty.

And in Paris, worshippers gathered at the Notre Dame cathedral for the first Christmas mass since its reopening following a devastating fire in 2019.

Christmas revellers around the world donned red and white Santa hats, offered meals to the homeless and lit candles on Wednesday, as Pope Francis launched observation of the global holiday with a sombre mass in the Vatican.

At Saint Peter’s Basilica, Francis used his Christmas Eve mass to urge Christians to think “of the wars, of the machine-gunned children, of the bombs on schools or hospitals” as this year’s Christmas once again takes place under the shadow of Israel’s war on Hamas and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

His remarks come just days after he denounced the “cruelty” of Israeli strikes, which prompted objections from Israeli diplomats.

Francis is due to deliver his traditional Christmas Day blessing, Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world), at midday on Wednesday, while in the biblical birthplace of Jesus, the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, observations of the holiday have been muted.

For the second year in a row, Bethlehem has done away with its giant Christmas tree and the elaborate decorations that normally draw throngs of tourists, settling for just a few festive lights.

“This year we limited our joy,” Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told AFP.

Prayers, including at the Church of the Nativity’s famed midnight mass, will still be held in the presence of the Catholic Church’s Latin patriarch, but the festivities will be of a more strictly religious nature.

The patriarch, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told a small crowd on Tuesday that he had just returned from Gaza, where he “saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster”.

“But I also saw life — they don’t give up. So you should not give up either. Never.”

At Manger Square, in the heart of the Palestinian city, a group of scouts held a parade that broke the silence.

“Our children want to play and laugh,” read a sign carried by one of them, as his friends whistled and cheered.

Other banners said: “We want life, not death”, and “Stop the Gaza genocide now!”

Jerusalem resident Hisham Makhoul said spending Christmas in the holy city offered an “escape” from the Israel-Hamas war, which has raged for more than 14 months in the Gaza Strip.

“What we’re going through is very difficult and we can’t completely forget about it,” said Makhoul of the plight of Palestinians in the besieged territory.

Gaza and Syria

About 1,100 Christians live in Gaza, which is separated from the West Bank by Israeli territory.

Hundreds of Gazan Christians gathered at a church to pray for an end to the war.

“This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction,” said George al-Sayegh, who for weeks has sought refuge in the 12th-century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City.

“There is no joy, no festive spirit. We don’t even know who will survive until the next holiday.”

In a message to Christians all over the world, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked them for supporting Israel’s fight against the “forces of evil”.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, hundreds of people took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest the burning of a Christmas tree in a Syrian town, just over two weeks after Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

“If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore,” said a demonstrator who gave his name as Georges.

Santa tracker

In Germany, Christmas was also a grim affair for many families after a deadly attack at a market, prompting President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to issue a message of healing.

“Hatred and violence must not have the final word,” he said.

In Buenos Aires, a Christmas solidarity dinner for the homeless fed around three thousand people at a time when more than half of Argentina’s population is affected by poverty.

“To say that it is a special year because there is more and more poverty is sad, but it is true,” Mariana Gonzalez, spokesperson for the Movement of Excluded Workers, one of the organisers, said.

Still, the atmosphere was joyful with floating balloons, music and clowns, as elsewhere on Christmas Eve families shared meals and gifts.

In the United States, where the annual tradition of “tracking” Santa Claus swung into action, a US Air Force general said there was no need to worry that recent mystery drone sightings might affect deliveries.

General Gregory Guillot’s reassurances came as the joint US-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command reported that Santa and his reindeer were making stops across Asia, including Japan and North Korea.

“Of course, we are concerned about drones and anything else in the air,” NORAD commander Guillot told Fox News. “But I don’t foresee any difficulty at all with drones for Santa this year.”

And in Paris, worshippers gathered at the Notre Dame cathedral for the first Christmas mass since its reopening following a devastating fire in 2019.

“We got here early to attend 4:00 pm mass, and to get a good spot. It’s a superb monument,” said Julien Violle, a 40-year-old engineer who travelled to Paris from Switzerland along with his two children.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)