Pope assails greed as millions celebrate
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has urged people to lead less materialistic lives as millions across the world celebrate Christmas on Tuesday, while US President Donald Trump put his festive foot in it by asking a child if he believed in Santa Claus.
Thousands attended mass on Monday night at the Vatican’s Saint Peter’s Basilica, where Pope Francis, the head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, offered his Christmas homily.
“An insatiable greed marks all human history, even today, when, paradoxically, a few dine luxuriantly while all too many go without the daily bread needed to survive,” the pope said.
Visitors from across the world gathered in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve ahead of midnight mass, queueing to see the grotto where Jesus is believed to have been born and taking in a festive parade. In the “little town” in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian scouts and a bagpipe band paraded in Manger Square across from the Church of the Nativity, built where Christians say Mary gave birth to Jesus.
Crowds, some wearing Santa hats or holding balloons, looked on at the square decked out with a giant Christmas tree and a manger as carols in Arabic played through speakers. “It’s a great opportunity to be in such a symbolic location for Christmas,” said Lea Gudel, a 21-year-old French student studying in Jerusalem, who was in Manger Square on Monday. Beyond Bethlehem, Christians worldwide were marking Christmas, with services held from Indonesia to Iraq. This year’s celebrations come after a year of tumult, much of which has come from Washington, where the festive spirit was dampened by a shutdown.