Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours (
Lk 2:14)
Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the whole world, Greetings and Happy Christmas!
I take up the song of the angels who appeared to the shepherds in
Bethlehem on the night when Jesus was born. It is a song which unites heaven
and earth, giving praise and glory to heaven, and the promise of peace to earth
and all its people.
I ask everyone to share in this song: it is a song for every man or
woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares
for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty.
Glory to God!
Above all else, this is what Christmas bids us to do: give glory to
God, for he is good, he is faithful, he is merciful. Today I voice my hope that
everyone will come to know the true face of God, the Father who has given us
Jesus. My hope is that everyone will feel God’s closeness, live in his
presence, love him and adore him.
May each of us give glory to God above all by our lives, by lives spent
for love of him and of all our brothers and sisters.
Peace to mankind
True peace - we know this well - is not a balance of
opposing forces. It is not a lovely “façade” which conceals conflicts and
divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment, but making peace is an art,
starting from God’s gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ.
Looking at the Child in the manger, Child of peace, our thoughts
turn to those children who are the most vulnerable victims of wars, but we think
too of the elderly, to battered women, to the sick… Wars shatter and hurt so
many lives!
Too many lives have been shattered in recent times by the conflict in
Syria, fueling hatred and vengeance. Let us continue to ask the Lord to spare
the beloved Syrian people further suffering, and to enable the parties in
conflict to put an end to all violence and guarantee access to humanitarian aid.
We have seen how powerful prayer is! And I am happy today too, that the
followers of different religious confessions are joining us in our prayer for
peace in Syria. Let us never lose the courage of prayer! The courage to say:
Lord, grant your peace to Syria and to the whole world. And I also invite
non-believers to desire peace with that yearning that makes the heart grow: all
united, either by prayer or by desire. But all of us, for peace.
Grant peace, dear Child, to the Central African Republic,
often forgotten and overlooked. Yet you, Lord, forget no one! And you also
want to bring peace to that land, torn apart by a spiral of violence and
poverty, where so many people are homeless, lacking water, food and the bare
necessities of life. Foster social harmony in South Sudan, where current
tensions have already caused too many victims and are threatening
peaceful coexistence in that young state.
Prince of Peace, in every place turn hearts aside from violence and
inspire them to lay down arms and undertake the path of dialogue. Look upon
Nigeria, rent by constant attacks which do not spare the innocent and
defenseless. Bless the land where you chose to come into the world, and grant a
favourable outcome to the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Heal
the wounds of the beloved country of Iraq, once more struck by frequent acts of
violence.
Lord of life, protect all who are persecuted for your name. Grant hope
and consolation to the displaced and refugees, especially in the Horn of Africa
and in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Grant that
migrants in search of a dignified life may find acceptance and assistance. May
tragedies like those we have witnessed this year, with so many deaths at
Lampedusa, never occur again!
Child of Bethlehem, touch the hearts of all those engaged in human
trafficking, that they may realize the gravity of this crime against humanity.
Look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed
conflicts, and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become
soldiers.
Lord of heaven and earth, look upon our planet, frequently exploited by
human greed and rapacity. Help and protect all the victims of natural
disasters, especially the beloved people of the Philippines, gravely affected by
the recent typhoon.
Dear brothers and sisters, today, in this world, in this humanity, is
born the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. Let us pause before the Child of
Bethlehem. Let us allow our hearts to be touched, let us not fear this. Let
us not fear that our hearts be moved. We need this! Let us allow ourselves
to be warmed by the tenderness of God; we need his caress. God’s caresses do
not harm us. They give us peace and strength. We need his caresses.
God is full of love: to him be praise and glory forever! God is peace: let
us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families,
in our cities and nations, in the whole world. Let us allow ourselves to be
moved by God’s goodness.
Christmas greetings after the Urbi et Orbi Message:
To you, dear brothers and sisters, gathered from throughout the
world in this Square, and to all those from different countries who join us
through the communications media, I offer my cordial best wishes for a merry
Christmas!
On this day illumined by the Gospel hope which springs from the
humble stable of Bethlehem, I invoke the Christmas gift of joy and peace upon
all: upon children and the elderly, upon young people and families, the poor and
the marginalized. May Jesus, who was born for us, console all those afflicted
by illness and suffering; may he sustain those who devote themselves to serving
our brothers and sisters who are most in need. Happy Christmas to all!
