Pope: May Christmas bring peace
to our world
and turn
sorrow
into joy
In his Christmas message at the midday "Urbi et
Orbi" blessing on Christmas Day, Pope Francis speaks of how the Child
Jesus reveals God's tender love for each one of us, which brings about
"the joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and bestows peace.
" He
prays for world peace and calls for every effort to stop violence and help
those who are suffering.
-
By
Thaddeus Jones
Greeting the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square
from the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis offered his
traditional good wishes on this Christmas Day with a message followed by his
solemn "Urbi et Orbi" blessing, to the city and the world.
The Pope said we look to the birthplace of Jesus in
Bethlehem during these times, sadly marked by "sorrow and silence."
Yet the birth of the Saviour there and the proclamation of the angel, “To you
is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,” give
us great hope as "the Lord has been born for us...the eternal Word of the
Father, the infinite God, has made His home among us."
Good news that changed history
Introducing his message, the Pope said the “good news
of great joy” we celebrate is the "sure promise of an unprecedented gift:
the hope of being born for heaven" as the Lord's birth reveals God's
tender love and that Jesus "gives us 'power to become children of God.'”
“This is the joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and
bestows peace. It is the joy of the Holy Spirit: the joy born of being God’s
beloved sons and daughters.”
God's light dispelling the darkness
Despite the "deep shadows" covering
Bethlehem today, "an undying flame has been lighted" the Pope
underscored, as God's light has overcome the darkness.
“Let us exult in this gift of grace! ... Rejoice, you
who have abandoned all hope, for God offers you His outstretched hand; He does
not point a finger at you, but offers you His little baby hand, in order to set
you free from your fears, to relieve you of your burdens and to show you that,
in His eyes, you are more valuable than anything else.”
The innocent victims of today
Following the birth of the Saviour came the slaughter
of the innocents, the Pope recalled, and he remembered the innocents, the
"little Jesuses" of today, who are victims "in their mothers’
wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the
lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by
war."
“Yes” to the Prince of Peace
We must say "yes" to peace and
"no" to war the Pope decried, as every war marks "a defeat
without victors, an inexcusable folly."
He also called for a "no" to weaponry given
that with human weakness we can often end up using it for war sooner or later.
Peace is even more difficult, he observed, "when arms production, sales,
and trade are on the rise" and public funds spent on arms can come at the
expense of bread for the hungry. He decried "the interests and the profits
that move the puppet strings of war" that must be brought to light, since
they are often unknown to the wider public. He prayed that "with God’s
help" may we make "every effort" for the day when "nation
shall not lift up sword against nation."
An end to violence in the Holy Land
Looking at parts of the world where peace is distant,
the Pope prayed for an end to the war devastating the lives of people in Israel
and Palestine. He offered his consolation to the people of Gaza and the entire
region and in particular the Christian communities.
He said his "heart grieves for the victims of the
abominable attack of 7 October," and he repeated his "urgent appeal
for the liberation of those still being held hostage."
The Pope pleaded for "an end to the military
operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims" and
called for "a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an
opening to the provision of humanitarian aid" in Gaza.
With an end to the violence, the Pope expressed hopes
that sincere and "persevering dialogue" with strong political will
and international support can lead to resolving the "Palestinian
question."
Peace for our world
The Pope named other nations struggling to arrive at
peace and stability, mentioning war-torn Syria, Yemen, and struggling Lebanon,
assuring all the people of his prayers for their well-being. He implored peace
for Ukraine, asking everyone to "renew our spiritual and human closeness
to its embattled people" so that they also "may feel the concrete
reality of God’s love."
Dialogue and reconcilation
May Armenia and Azerbaijan draw closer to a definitive
peace, he prayed, especially through humanitarian outreach and the return of
refugees to their homes in security and with respect for religious traditions
and places of worship.
he Pope prayed for the people of the Sahel region,
the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
South Sudan - all places where tensions are high, but peace is possible with
goodwill and hard efforts.
May the "fraternal bonds" be strengthened on
the Korean peninsula, the Pope prayed, through "dialogue and
reconciliation capable of creating the conditions for lasting peace."
Solidarity with all
Turning to the Americas, the Pope prayed for common
efforts to resolve social and political conflicts, to alleviate poverty, and to
address the issues forcing people to migrate.
"May we remember the those who have no voice,
especially children who suffer from lack of food and water, the unemployed,
those forced to migrate and risking their lives who are often prey to
unscrupulous traffickers."
A Jubilee of grace and hope
In conclusion, the Pope said that in just one year,
the Jubilee of 2025 will be inaugurated, marking a "season of grace and
hope," but one that requires our preparation through a "conversion of
hearts, for the rejection of war and the embrace of peace."
May we joyfully respond to the Lord’s call, he said,
"in the words of Isaiah’s prophecy, 'to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release
to the prisoners.'”
“Let us welcome Jesus! Let us open our hearts to him,
who is the Saviour, the Prince of Peace!”
Vatican News
MESSAGGIO
URBI ET ORBI
DEL
SANTO PADRE FRANCESCO
[EN - ES - FR - IT]
