Just in:
Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit // U.S. Compliance Takes Center Stage at OKX Following Industry Jitters // Saudi Arabia Unveils Green Financing Tool to Achieve Net-Zero Goals // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Will Be The Costliest One Till Now In The Whole World // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head //
HomeWorldPope says Christmas 'hostage' to materialism, God in shadows

Pope says Christmas 'hostage' to materialism, God in shadows

By Philip Pullella
| VATICAN CITY

ADVERTISEMENT

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis said on Saturday that Christmas had been “taken hostage” by dazzling materialism that puts God in the shadows and blinds many to the needs of the hungry, the migrants and the war weary.

Francis, leading the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas for the fourth time since his election in 2013, said in his Christmas Eve homily that a world often obsessed with gifts, feasting and self-centeredness needed more humility.

“If we want to celebrate Christmas authentically, we need to contemplate this sign: the fragile simplicity of a small newborn, the meekness of where he lies, the tender affection of the swaddling clothes. God is there,” the Pope said at St. Peter’s Basilica.

At the solemn but joyous service, attended by some 10,000 people as well as dozens of cardinals and bishops, Pope Francis said the many in the wealthy world had to be reminded that the message of Christmas was humility, simplicity and mystery.

“Jesus was born rejected by some and regarded by many others with indifference,” he said.

“Today also the same indifference can exist, when Christmas becomes a feast where the protagonists are ourselves, rather than Jesus; when the lights of commerce cast the light of God into the shadows; when we are concerned for gifts, but cold toward those who are marginalized.”

He then added in unscripted remarks: “This worldliness has taken Christmas hostage. It needs to be freed.”

Security was heightened for the Christmas weekend in Italy and at the Vatican after Italian police killed the man believed to be responsible for the Berlin market truck attack while other European cities kept forces on high alert.

St. Peter’s Square was cleared out six hours before the mass started at the basilica so that security procedures could be put in place for those entering the church later.

Francis, who has made defence of the poor a trademark of his papacy, said the infant Jesus should remind everyone of those suffering today, particularly children.

“Let us also allow ourselves to be challenged by the children of today’s world, who are not lying in a cot caressed with the affection of a mother and father, but rather suffer the squalid mangers that devour dignity: hiding underground to escape bombardment, on the pavements of a large city, at the bottom of a boat over-laden with immigrants,” he said.

Outside the basilica, thousands of people who could not get into the largest church in Christendom watched on large screens in the chilly night.

“Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the children who are not allowed to be born, by those who cry because no one satiates their hunger, by those who do have not toys in their hands, but rather weapons,” he said.

On Christmas Day, Francis will deliver his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and to the World”) blessing and message from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella, editing by G Crosse)

-Reuters

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Fri, 29 Mar 2024 // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Following the Money Trail: US and UK Investigate $20 Billion in USDT Transfers Tied to Sanctioned Russian Exchange // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // Saudi Arabia Unveils Green Financing Tool to Achieve Net-Zero Goals // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young //