In Christmas Day message, pope decries Gaza's 'appalling harvest' of civilian deaths

By Philip PullellaVATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said in his Christmas message on Monday that children dying in wars, including in Gaza, are the "little Jesuses of today" and that Israeli strikes there were reaping an "appalling harvest" of innocent civilians. He gave particular attention to the Holy Land, including Gaza, where, according to Palestinian health officials, Israeli air strikes killed at least 78 people in one of the besieged enclave's deadliest nights of Israel's 11-week-old battle with Hamas. "May it (peace) come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those peoples. I embrace them all, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza and the entire Holy Land," Francis said. Francis called for "persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community".