‘Our differences are a richness, not a danger,’ says Pope in message to globe
POPE Francis has described the world’s differences as a richness, not a danger, and called for political solutions to end wars.
Addressing tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans who flocked to St Peter’s Square for the traditional Urbi et Orbi message, the Pope offered a Christmas wish for fraternity among people of different faiths, races and ideas.
In his address, he called for political solutions to end wars in Syria and Yemen, as well as the conflicts in Ukraine and tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Venezuela, Nicaragua.
He also reflected on the millions of persons in Africa who are refugees or displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance and food security.
Without fraternity, he said, ‘even our best plans and projects risk being soulless and empty’.
He called for that spirit among individuals of ‘every nation and culture’ as well as among people ‘with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening to one another’.
‘Our differences, then, are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness,’ Pope Francis said.
He made his appeal as the trend toward nationalism, which has Hope: Pope Francis yesterday fuelled suspicion of migrants and refugees, has gained traction in much of Europe and the United States.
On Monday, Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass for the faithful in St Peter’s Basilica, during which he urged Christians to forgo the greed, gluttony and materialism of Christmas and to focus instead on its message of simplicity, charity and love.
During his homily, he lamented that many people find their life’s meaning in possessions when the biblical story of Christ’s birth emphasises that God appeared to people who were poor when it came to earthly possessions, but faithful.
‘Standing before the manger, we understand that the food of life is not material riches but love, not gluttony but charity, not ostentation but simplicity,’ the Pontiff said, dressed in simple white vestments.
He added: ‘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.’
Meanwhile, in his Christmas Day sermon, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Reverend Dr Michael Jackson, told the congregation at Christ Church Cathedral that inequalities in society need to be examined
‘Food of life is love, not gluttony’
He remarked: ‘There have always been inequalities, but the institutionalisation of inequalities around the basics of food and shelter, of housing and human dignity runs counter to a modern and glib agenda of equality and opportunity for all.
‘Many are not able to access these opportunities, nor will they ever, because inequalities have become endemic in our society.
‘The gap between those who have more and those who have nothing grows deeper and wider and becomes institutionalised.’