Christmas has been taken hostage by a dazzling materialism, that has overshadowed God, and made people blind to hunger, refugees, and war, said Pope Francis during Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Christmas is all about humility, simplicity and mystery, according to Pope. It has been taken hostage by worldliness and must be freed, he said in an unscripted comment.
‘If we want to celebrate Christmas in authentic ways, we must consider the following: the fragile simplicity in a small, newborn child, humility, and devotion. God is there, he said, according to Reuters.
He also used the occasion to remind the audience to remember less fortunate children during the holidays.
‘Think of the children hiding underground to escape bombardments, or living on the street in a big city, or in the bottom of a boat crowded with refugees.
The Pope is the leader of the world’s Catholic population of 1.2 billion people, and of the Roman Catholic Church, said to be the richest organisation on earth.
About 10,000 attended the Mass in, or outside, the church on Christmas Eve. On Sunday, Christmas Day, the Pope will give a speech to the city and the world, Urbi et Orbi, and lead a Christmas Day Mass.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today