Recalling Jesus' birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those "ravenous" for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty, and greedy consumerism. In the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis presided over the evening Mass attended by about 7,000 faithful, including tourists and pilgrims, who flocked to the church on a warm evening and took their place behind rows of white-robed pontiffs. Francis drew lessons from the humility of Jesus first hours of life in a manger, the AP reports.
"While animals feed in their stalls, men and women in our world, in their hunger for wealth and power, consume even their neighbors, their brothers and sisters," the pontiff lamented. "How many wars have we seen! And in how many places, even today, are human dignity and freedom treated with contempt!" He added, "As always, the principal victims of this human greed are the weak and the vulnerable." The pope did not cite any specific conflict or situation. "I think above all of the children devoured by war, poverty, and injustice," he said. Still, the pontiff exhorted people to take heart.
“Do not allow yourself to be overcome by fear, resignation or discouragement," the pope said. Jesus’ lying in a manger shows where "the true riches in life are to be found: not in money and power, but in relationships and persons." Francis urged people to "not let this Christmas pass without doing something good." When the Mass ended, the pope, pushed in a wheelchair by an aide, moved down the basilica with a life-size statue of Baby Jesus on his lap and flanked by several children carrying bouquets. The statue then was placed in a manger in a creche scene in the basilica.
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