Pope's Christmas Message\u00a0
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\tDear brothers and sisters, Happy Christmas!<\/p>\n
\tChrist is born for us, let us rejoice in the day of our salvation!<\/p>\n
\tLet us open our hearts to receive the grace of this day, which is Christ himself. \u00a0Jesus is the radiant 'day\u00e2?\u009d which has dawned on the horizon of humanity. \u00a0A day of mercy, in which God our Father has revealed his great tenderness to the entire world. \u00a0A day of light, which dispels the darkness of fear and anxiety. \u00a0A day of peace, which makes for encounter, dialogue and, above all, reconciliation. \u00a0A day of joy: a 'great joy\u00e2?\u009d for the poor, the lowly and for all the people (cf. Lk 2:10).<\/p>\n
\tOn this day, Jesus, the Saviour is born of the Virgin Mary. \u00a0The Crib makes us see the 'sign\u00e2?\u009d which God has given us: 'a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger\u00e2?\u009d (Lk 2:12). \u00a0Like the shepherds of Bethlehem, may we too set out to see this sign, this event which is renewed yearly in the Church. \u00a0Christmas is an event which is renewed in every family, parish and community which receives the love of God made incarnate in Jesus Christ. \u00a0Like Mary, the Church shows to everyone the 'sign\u00e2?\u009d of God: the Child whom she bore in her womb and to whom she gave birth, yet who is the Son of the Most High, since he 'is of the Holy Spirit\u00e2?\u009d (Mt 1:20). \u00a0He is truly the Saviour, for he is the Lamb of God who takes upon himself the sin of the world (cf. Jn 1:29). \u00a0With the shepherds, let us bow down before the Lamb, let us worship God\u00e2??s goodness made flesh, and let us allow tears of repentance to fill our eyes and cleanse our hearts. \u00a0This is something we all need!<\/p>\n
\tHe alone, he alone can save us. \u00a0Only God\u00e2??s mercy can free humanity from the many forms of evil, at times monstrous evil, which selfishness spawns in our midst. \u00a0The grace of God can convert hearts and offer mankind a way out of humanly insoluble situations.<\/p>\n
\tWhere God is born, hope is born. \u00a0He brings hope. \u00a0Where God is born, peace is born. \u00a0And where peace is born, there is no longer room for hatred and for war. \u00a0Yet precisely where the incarnate Son of God came into the world, tensions and violence persist, and peace remains a gift to be implored and built. \u00a0May Israelis and Palestinians resume direct dialogue and reach an agreement which will enable the two peoples to live together in harmony, ending a conflict which has long set them at odds, with grave repercussions for the entire region.<\/p>\n
\tWe pray to the Lord that the agreement reached in the United Nations may succeed in halting as quickly as possible the clash of arms in Syria and in remedying the extremely grave humanitarian situation of its suffering people. \u00a0It is likewise urgent that the agreement on Libya be supported by all, so as to overcome the grave divisions and violence afflicting the country. \u00a0May the attention of the international community be unanimously directed to ending the atrocities which in those countries, as well as in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, even now reap numerous victims, cause immense suffering and do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples. \u00a0My thoughts also turn to those affected by brutal acts of terrorism, particularly the recent massacres which took place in Egyptian airspace, in Beirut, Paris, Bamako and Tunis.<\/p>\n
\tTo our brothers and sisters who in many parts of the world are being persecuted for their faith, may the Child Jesus grant consolation and strength. \u00a0They are our martyrs of today.<\/p>\n
\tWe also pray for peace and concord among the peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and South Sudan, that dialogue may lead to a strengthened common commitment to the building of civil societies animated by a sincere spirit of reconciliation and of mutual understanding.<\/p>\n
\tMay Christmas also bring true peace to Ukraine, offer comfort to those suffering from the effects of the conflict, and inspire willingess to carry out the agreements made to restore concord in the entire country.<\/p>\n
\tMay the joy of this day illumine the efforts of the Colombian people so that, inspired by hope, they \u00a0may continue their commitment to working for the desired peace.<\/p>\n
\tWhere God is born, hope is born; and where hope is born, persons regain their dignity. \u00a0Yet even today great numbers of men and woman are deprived of their human dignity and, like the child Jesus, suffer cold, poverty, and rejection. \u00a0May our closeness today be felt by those who are most vulnerable, especially child soldiers, women who suffer violence, and the victims of human trafficking and the drug trade.<\/p>\n
\tNor may our encouragement be lacking to all those fleeing extreme poverty or war, travelling all too often in inhumane conditions and not infrequently at the risk of their lives. \u00a0May God repay all those, both individuals and states, who generously work to provide assistance and welcome to the numerous migrants and refugees, helping them to build a dignified future for themselves and for their dear ones, and to be integrated in the societies which receive them.<\/p>\n
\tOn this festal day may the Lord grant renewed hope to all those who lack employment \u00e2?? and they are so many!; may he sustain the commitment of those with public responsibilities in political and economic life, that they may work to pursue the common good and to protect the dignity of every human life.<\/p>\n
\tWhere God is born, mercy flourishes. \u00a0Mercy is the most precious gift which God gives us, especially during this Jubilee year in which we are called to discover that tender love of our heavenly Father for each of us. \u00a0May the Lord enable prisoners in particular to experience his merciful love, which heals wounds and triumphs over evil.<\/p>\n
\tToday, then, let us together rejoice in the day of our salvation. \u00a0 As we contemplate the Crib, let us gaze on the open arms of Jesus, which show us the merciful embrace of God, as we hear the cries of the Child who whispers to us: 'for my brethren and companions\u00e2?? sake, I will say: Peace be within you\u00e2?\u009d (Ps 121[122]:8).<\/p>\n
\tChristmas Greetings of the Holy Father (after the Urbi et Orbi Blessing)<\/p>\n
\tTo you, dear brothers and sisters all over the world who have come to this Square and to all those who join us by radio, television and other media, I offer my most cordial good wishes.<\/p>\n
\tIt is Christmas of the Holy Year of Mercy, and so I pray that all can welcome into their lives the mercy of God which Jesus Christ has bestowed on us, so that we in turn can show mercy to our brothers and sisters. \u00a0In this way, we will make peace grow! \u00a0Happy Christmas!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
December 25, 2015. \"My thoughts also turn to those affected by brutal acts of terrorism,\" underlines Pope Francis. ;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":34691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[179],"tags":[],"acf":{"video":"","video_descarga":"http:\/\/attuale.romereports.com\/news\/","international_url":"","type":"none","newsletter":"si"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}