Pope Francis urged that the vaccine be guaranteed to all “especially the most vulnerable”, in his Christmas message, this year delivered inside Saint Peter's Basilica and without the faithful present due to the pandemic emergency of the coronavirus.
"In this time of darkness and uncertainties, lights of hope appear like those of vaccines, but for these lights to bring hope to the whole world they have to be available to all," said Francisco.
And he denounced: “
It cannot be expected that closed nationalisms will prevent us from living as the true human family that we are
.
We cannot let the virus of radical individualism win and leave us indifferent to the suffering of the other brothers ”.
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“We cannot put ourselves first before the others.
Market laws and patents cannot be on the law of love and the health of humanity ”, he added.
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Given this, he asked all those responsible for the States, international organizations and companies, “to propose cooperation and not competition, and seek a solution for everyone.
Vaccines for everyone.
Especially for the most vulnerable and needy on the planet
”.
“Faced with a challenge that knows no borders, no barriers can be erected.
We are all in the same boat, ”Francisco said from the blessings hall of the basilica.
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This year due to the restrictive measures due to the pandemic and with a confined Italy, the pope delivered his message inside the basilica and not looking out from the balcony of the central lodge where he usually reviews the evils and crises and wars in the world .
The sick and those in financial difficulties
He began by stating that "at this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and by serious economic and social imbalances, aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic, we need fraternity more than ever."
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Francis recalled these days of celebration "all those who do not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by adverse circumstances, but who strive to bring hope, comfort and help, helping those who suffer and accompanying those who are alone."
He also directed his thoughts "at this time to families: those who cannot be reunited today, as well as those who are forced to stay at home."
Recalling that Catholics celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked “that the child of Bethlehem help us to be available, generous and supportive, especially with the most fragile people, the sick and all those who are currently without work or in serious condition. difficulties due to the economic consequences of the pandemic ”.
He also asked for closeness to all
"women who have suffered domestic violence in these months of confinement."
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Childhood suffering in the world
In this Christmas message, Francis urged that “on the day when the Word of God becomes a child”, so many suffering children in the world be remembered, “especially in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, they are still paying the price. price of war ”.
"May their faces touch the consciences of people of good will, so that the causes of conflicts can be addressed and courageously worked to build a future of peace," he added.
He prayed that this is the moment when "tensions in the entire Middle East and in the eastern Mediterranean dissolve."
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And also that “the Child Jesus heals once again the wounds of the beloved people of Syria, who for a decade now have been exhausted by the war and its consequences, further aggravated by the pandemic”, and “bring comfort to the Iraqi people and all the who have committed themselves to the path of reconciliation, especially the Yazidis, who have been severely beaten in the last years of the war ”.
The pope asked that “the Child of Bethlehem” bring peace to Libya and that he
“grant brotherhood to the land that gave him birth, and that Israelis and Palestinians can regain mutual trust to seek a just
and lasting
peace
through dialogue. direct, capable of ending violence and overcoming resentments ”.
He did not forget Lebanon and reiterated his call for “the leaders of the country to put aside private interests, and to commit themselves seriously, honestly and transparently so that Lebanon follows a path of reforms and continues with its vocation of freedom and peaceful coexistence. ”.
As well as requested the “commitment of the international community and of the countries involved to maintain the ceasefire in Upper Karabakh, as well as in the eastern regions of Ukraine, and to favor dialogue as the only way that leads to peace and reconciliation. ”.
And he also prayed that "the Divine Child alleviates the suffering" of the populations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, Ethiopia and the Cabo Delgado region, in northern Mozambique, victims of the violence of international terrorism and "Encourage those responsible for South Sudan, Nigeria and Cameroon to continue on the path of brotherhood and dialogue that they have undertaken."
He implored that "the King of Heaven protect the peoples affected by natural disasters in Southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines and Vietnam" and thinking of Asia, he recalled the persecuted Rohingya people.
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Hope for the Americas
The Argentine pope called for "
hope for the American continent, particularly affected by the coronavirus,
which has exacerbated its numerous sufferings that oppress it, often aggravated by the consequences of corruption and drug trafficking."
He made reference to Chile and demanded that the child Jesus "help overcome the recent social tensions."
And he pleaded for an end "to the suffering of the Venezuelan people."
Francis ended his message by urging that, despite the difficulties that are being experienced, “that Christmas be an opportunity to rediscover the family as the cradle of life and faith;
a welcoming place of love, dialogue, forgiveness, fraternal solidarity and shared joy, a source of peace for all humanity ”.
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An atypical Christmas around the world
Curfews, quarantines, and even border closures complicated Christmas celebrations for countless people around the world, but ingenuity, determination, and imagination helped make the day special for many.
On Friday, the bells rang around Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace celebrated Christmas Day.
But the closure of Israel's international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions prohibiting travel between cities, kept visitors away.
In Beijing, official churches abruptly canceled Christmas Day Mass in a last-minute measure, after China's capital was placed on high alert for the confirmation of two confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week, and Two new asymptomatic cases were reported on Friday.
Border closures prevented thousands of migrants from devastated Venezuela, who live in Colombia, from returning home for Christmas.
The Colombian government closed the crossings in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 infections.
Those who tried to return home for the holidays this year had to turn to smugglers.
Yakelin Tamaure, a nurse who left Venezuela two years ago, will not return home and said there will be no gifts or new clothes for her two children, ages 10 and 15.
Tamaure said that she has not been able to find work as a nurse because she does not yet have a residence permit in Colombia.
His parents are still in Venezuela.
"My mom broke her foot and can't walk well, so I'm worried about her," Tamaure said.
"I try to send him money, but it is not the same as being there."
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Others successfully crossed borders elsewhere only to find themselves in quarantine.
On their first Christmas since they were married in March, Nattasuda Anusonadisai and Patrick Kaplin are quarantined in a hotel room in Bangkok.
It wasn't much fun, but they made sure to get a Christmas tree.
They returned earlier this month from a four-and-a-half-month trip to Canada and the United States, making a 32-hour trip from Montreal via Doha.
A condition for entering Thailand is a 14-day quarantine.
Thai citizens can stay in state facilities for free, but foreigners like Kaplin from Canada must pay to stay in an approved hotel, the option the couple made in order to stay together.
“The hotel was surprised that we ordered a full-size Christmas tree, but they didn't hold us back in bringing it,” Anusonadisai said.
As they had not asked for enough ornaments they placed items collected from their travels, such as an eagle feather and, of course, masks.
“Now we will continue this tradition as it is good to see so many personal mementos on the tree,” Kaplan said.
Nick and Charlie talk to family members on the phone while having breakfast outdoors in Trafalgar Square, London, England on Christmas Eve.AP Photo / Tony Hicks
In Paris, members of the Notre Dame cathedral choir, wearing helmets and protective suits - not against COVID-19, but for the reconstruction of the medieval monument ravaged by fire in 2019 - sang inside the church for the first time since fire.
At a special Christmas Eve concert, accompanied by an acclaimed cellist and a rented organ, the socially estranged singers performed under the stained glass windows of the cathedral in the middle of the darkened church, and in full reconstruction.
The public is not expected to see the interior of Notre Dame until 2024.
In other places, Christmas was a difficult time.
Thousands of drivers were stranded in their trucks in the English port of Dover, without the coronavirus tests required by France
.
The British Army and French firefighters help speed up the tests and free food was distributed.
Others struggled with travel restrictions from the virus that prevented them from visiting family or friends while on vacation.
"Loneliness affects me these days.
I often feel depressed, ”said Álvaro Puig, an 81-year-old Spaniard who spent Christmas Eve dining alone with his pet rabbit.
"These holidays, instead of making me happy, they make me sad."
With information from EFE and AP