Pope Francis: As Christmas approaches, 'the whole world is at war'

A Vatican official says a statementmade by Pope Francis about Christmas festivities happening while the world is at warhas been "grossly mistranslated" by media.

Several media reports have said that the Pope called Christmas "a charade"during a massat Vatican Citylast Thursday.

But Rev.Thomas Rosica, theEnglish-language media attachfor the Holy See press office, told CBC News in an email on Monday that the Pope,speaking in Italian, "never used the word 'charade'"

"Theword that has been badly translated by many in the media has been truccatoin Italian," Rosica wrote. "[The word] literally means 'made up,'i.e., with makeup."

Rosica, who works with theVatican but is based in Toronto, said in this context, truccatomeant "festively bedecked."

• Vatican Radio: Italian text of Pope's remarks

In his homily on Thursday,the Pope said, "We are close to Christmas: there will be lights, there will be parties, bright trees, even nativity scenes all decked out while the world continues to wage war,"accordingto an English-languageVatican Radio report.

"The Pope referred to the sad state of the world at present and how even in the midst of all the decorations of the season, the world has not learned the way of peace," Rosica said."In light of the serious situation and crisis situation of the world, we should not cover over everything with tinsel and garlands and external decorations."

'Jesus weeps'

The Pope made the remarks six daysafterthe Nov. 13 Paris shootings and suicide bombingsthat left 130 people dead. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimedresponsibility for the deadliest attacks on France since the Second World War.

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At the time, the Popecalled the attacks "not human."

ISIS also claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings that killeddozens of people and wounded hundreds more in Beirut the day before the Paris attacks, and for downing a Russian charter jet over Egypt.

France reacted swiftly to the Paris attackswith airstrikeson the city of Raqqa, ISIS's defacto capital in Syria.French PresidentFranois Hollandehasalso called on the U.S. and Russia to join a global coalition to destroy ISIS, declaring that "France is at war."

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During the mass on Thursday, the Pope also lamented the world's choice of "the way of war [and] the way of hatred."

"A war can be justified,so to speak,with many, many reasons, but when all the world as it is today, at war piecemeal though that war may be a little here, a little there, and everywhere, there is no justification," the Pope said. "God weeps. Jesus weeps."