In his annual "State of the World" address on Jan. 8, Pope Francis made a firm call for a total ceasefire in the Middle East, amid the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war. In this episode of "The Vatican Briefing," Vatican expert Christopher White interviews the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Joe Donnelly, who said the United States is working "nonstop" to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza but stopped short of backing the pope's call for a ceasefire. "Israel has a complete right to defend itself," said Donnelly, "But in that process, they also have an obligation to protect the citizens of Gaza." Also in this episode, White and co-host Joshua McElwee discuss Pope Francis' plans for 2024 and the divergent global reactions to the Vatican's Dec. 18 decree making it possible for Catholic priests to bless same-sex unions. This podcast and NCR's Future Media Initiative are made possible in part by the generosity of Bill and Jean Buchanan. Please support this podcast by joining NCR Forward, National Catholic Reporter's membership program.  Relevant links: Christopher White's coverage of Pope Francis' Jan. 8 "State of the World" address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See: Pope Francis calls for global ban on surrogate motherhood: Kids not 'commercial contract' Ambassador Joe Donnelly's exclusive interview with NCR after arriving in Rome in 2022: US Vatican ambassador: World is looking to Pope Francis to help end Ukraine war Ambassador Joe Donelly's NCR op-ed marking the 10th anniversary of the pope's election: Pope Francis and U.S. share a strong connection Catholic News Service's coverage of President Joe Biden's July 2023 meeting with Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi: Repatriating Ukrainian children topped papal envoy's agenda with Biden Christopher White's coverage of the Vatican's Dec. 18 declaration allowing for Catholic blessings for gay couples: In major doctrinal shift, Vatican officially OKs Catholic blessings for gay couples Catholic News Service's coverage of the response of Catholic bishops in Africa to the Vatican's gay blessings declaration: Catholic bishops across Africa say same-sex blessings 'cannot be carried out' on continent NCR's coverage of the response of Catholic bishops in Eastern Europe to the Vatican's gay blessings document: Across Eastern Europe, bishops reject Vatican's opening to same-sex blessings