VATICAN/URBI ET ORBI – Christmas, the Pope: Mercy erases hatred and revenge, let's open the doors to gestures of dialogue
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Vatican Media
by Fabio Beretta
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – «The mercy of God can do everything, it unties every knot, it breaks down every wall of division, the mercy of God dissolves hatred and the spirit of revenge. Come! Jesus is the Door of Peace.” The day after the start of the Jubilee, the symbol of the Holy Door is still at the center of the Christmas greeting message that Pope Francis delivered while looking out, as per tradition, from the central loggia of the Vatican basilica, for the Urbi et Orbi blessing .
The birth of Christ, which occurred more than two thousand years ago, «is renewed by the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit of Love and Life who fertilized Mary's womb and formed Jesus from her human flesh. And so today, in the midst of of our time, the eternal Word of salvation is incarnated again and truly, which says to every man and every woman, which says to the whole world: “I love you, I forgive you, return to me, the door of my heart is open for you!”».
«The door of God's heart is always open, let us return to Him! Let's return to the heart that loves us and forgives us! Let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by Him, let us be reconciled with Him! God always forgives! God forgives everything”, added the Pontiff off the cuff, remarking: “Do not be afraid! The Door is wide open! There is no need to knock. Come! Let us allow ourselves to be reconciled with God, and then we will be reconciled with ourselves and we will be able to reconcile with each other, even with our enemies.”
For the Bishop of Rome, to be embraced by salvation it is enough to cross that door, while we, on the contrary, «often stop only on the threshold; we don't have the courage to go beyond it, because it puts us into question. Entering through the Door requires the sacrifice of taking a step, of leaving disputes and divisions behind, to abandon yourself to the open arms of the Child who is the Prince of peace.”
Hence the appeal to all nations at war so that “every person” and “every people” can “have the courage to cross the Door”, to “silence the weapons and overcome the divisions!”. The Pontiff then began to reel off all the conflicts that are tearing the planet apart one by one, starting from the geographically closest one, that is, the one on the borders of Europe: «Let the weapons be silent in the tormented Ukraine! Let us have the audacity to open the door to negotiation and gestures of dialogue and meeting, to arrive at a just and lasting peace.”
«Let the weapons be silent in the Middle East! With my eyes fixed on the cradle of Bethlehem, I turn my thoughts to the Christian communities in Palestine and Israel, and in particular to the dear community of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very serious. May the fire cease, the hostages be freed and the population exhausted by hunger and war be helped”, added the Pope, then saying he was “also close to the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this moment so delicate. May the doors of dialogue and peace be opened throughout the region, torn by conflict. And I also want to remember the Libyan people here, encouraging them to seek solutions that allow national reconciliation.”
The Pontiff's gaze then widened to Africa: «May the birth of the Savior bring a time of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from a measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as to the populations of East of that country and those of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique. The humanitarian crisis affecting them is mainly caused by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism and is aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, which cause the loss of human lives and the displacement of millions of people. I also think of the populations of the countries of the Horn of Africa for whom I implore the gifts of peace, harmony and brotherhood. May the Son of the Almighty support the commitment of the international community in promoting access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and in starting new negotiations with a view to a ceasefire.”
There was also a thought for the former Burma: «May the announcement of Christmas bring comfort to the inhabitants of Myanmar, who, due to the continuous armed clashes, suffer serious suffering and are forced to flee their homes». Finally, the call for peace extended to the American continent. The hope of the Bishop of Rome is that «effective solutions in truth and justice will be found as soon as possible, to promote social harmony, in particular I am thinking of Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua, and efforts will be made, especially in this Jubilee Year, to build the common good and rediscover the dignity of every person, overcoming political divisions.”
May the Jubilee “be an opportunity to break down all walls of separation: the ideological ones, which so often mark political life, and also the physical ones, such as the division which has affected the island of Cyprus for the past fifty years and which has the human and social fabric has been torn apart. I hope that we can reach a shared solution, a solution that puts an end to the division in full respect of the rights and dignity of all Cypriot communities” and, at the same time, that the Holy Year “is an opportunity to forgive debts , especially those that burden the poorest countries. Everyone is called to forgive the offenses received, because the Son of God, who was born in the cold and darkness of the night, forgives all our debts”, concluded the Pontiff, who before the blessing “to the City and the World” had not forgotten «those who do their utmost for good in a silent and faithful way: I think of parents, educators, and teachers, who have the great responsibility of training future generations; I think of the health workers, the police forces, those involved in charitable works, especially the missionaries scattered around the world, who bring light and comfort to many people in difficulty. We want to say to all of them: thank you! (Agenzia Fides 25/12/2024)
Share:
