In his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the Pope also urged people in modern societies to accept the light of Christ and warned that many human tragedies were caused by environmental upheavals.
“May this Christmas truly be for all people a day of joy, hope and peace,” he said in his address from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to tens of thousands of people below.
The address was broadcast live to around 57 countries and after this the Pope, sitting on a throne and wearing elaborately embroidered gold vestments, read Christmas greetings in 63 languages.
“May the light of Christ, which comes to enlighten every human being, shine forth and bring consolation to those who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war,” he said.
Christmas should bring hope to those “still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend against human dignity.”
He warned that “ethnic, religious and political tensions, instability, rivalry, disagreements, and all forms of injustice and discrimination are destroying the internal fabric of many countries and embittering international relations.”
He spoke of Darfur, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, the Holy Land, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Balkans and “many other crisis situations that unfortunately are frequently forgotten.”
The Pope made another appeal for environmental protection, saying that the number of migrants, refugees and evacuees “is also increasing because of frequent natural disasters, often caused by alarming environmental upheavals.”
One new language this year was Guarani, the tongue of indigenous peoples of South America whose natural environment and way of life are threatened by development.
Modern parallels
In the midnight sermon, he said the fact that Jesus was born in a manger because there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the inn in Bethlehem had modern parallels.
“Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others -- for his neighbour, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others.”
In the run-up to Christmas, the Pope urged Catholics several times to rediscover the feast's religious significance, lamenting that the holiday had been dominated by materialism.
