ROME—Pope Francis called for an end to the war in Gaza and denounced the international arms industry for fomenting conflicts there and around the globe, in his traditional Christmas message “to the city (of Rome) and the world.”

“If we find instruments of death in our hands, sooner or later we will use them,” Francis said, speaking from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican to a crowd in the square below. He said more attention should be given to the proportion of public funds spent on weapons, “so as to bring to light the interests and profits that move the puppet-strings of war.”