As Christmas is fast approaching, Pope Francis called on people to spend less on Christmas presents and celebrations, and donate the money saved to those in war-ravaged Ukraine.
“It is nice to celebrate Christmas. But let’s lower the level of Christmas spending a bit,” Francis said in his weekly general audience at the Vatican.
“Let’s have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts. Let’s send what we save to the Ukrainian people, who need it,” he said.
After almost ten months of fighting, the war’s hardships have gotten worse as winter approaches and Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
