Pope: every discarded person is a child of God

"Every discarded and child of God": Pope Francis underlines this in the Mass on Christmas Eve, asking to look at those who are most in difficulty. Looking at God who became a child, the Pontiff underlines: "His disarmed and disarming love reminds us that the time we have does not serve to cry over us, but to console the tears of those who suffer. God takes up residence close to us, poor and needy, to tell us that by serving the poor we will love Him ". "We need to let ourselves be traversed by his gratuitous love, by his tireless love, by his concrete love. How many times instead - the Pope said in his homily -, hungry for fun, success and worldliness, we feed life with foods that are not they feed and leave the void inside! ". It is a Night Mass, the one in the Vatican basilica, which was brought forward to comply with anti-Covid regulations. Few of the faithful present at St. Peter's to respect the distancing: about 200 people in a basilica that can hold 7 thousand. Also tomorrow the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing will not be held from the Lodge with the presence of the faithful but in the Hall of blessings from where the Pope's message will be streamed all over the world. And while waiting for the message of Christmas Day, which traditionally is an opportunity to put the spotlight on the most tormented areas of the planet, today the Pope wanted to send his message to two particularly suffering countries: Lebanon and South Sudan. . He spoke of the "pain" with which he follows the events in the land of cedars and assured that he intends to visit Lebanon "as soon as possible". Then he launched a new appeal to the international community: "Let us help Lebanon to stay out of regional conflicts and tensions. Let us help it to emerge from the serious crisis and to recover". To the politicians of South Sudan, in a letter written together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the rev. Martin Fair, asks to make progress in the peace process, started in 2019 with the meeting in the Vatican. Some steps have been taken "but know that it is not enough for your people", warn the religious leaders who renew their commitment to visit the African country when the situation allows it.