The Pope warns of the "danger" of Christmas

Recalling Jesus' birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those "hungry" for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily condemning war, poverty and greedy consumerism. .

In the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis presided over an evening mass attended by some 7,000 faithful, including tourists and pilgrims, who flocked to the church and took their place behind the lines of white-robed pontificates.

Francis drew lessons of humility from the first hours of Jesus' life in a manger.

“While the animals feed in their stables, the men and women of our world, in their hunger for wealth and power, consume even their neighbors, their brothers and sisters,” he lamented.

“How many wars have we seen!

And in how many places, even today, human dignity and freedom are treated with contempt!” he said.

“As always, the main victims of this human greed are the weak and the vulnerable,”

Francisco added.

The pope holds his pastoral staff as he presides over the Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter's Basilica on December 24, 2022.Gregorio Borgia / AP

"Also this Christmas, as in the case of Jesus, a voracious world of money, power and pleasure makes no room for the little ones, for so many unborn children, poor and forgotten," the Pope said, reading his homily in a voice that she sounded tired and hoarse.

"I am thinking above all of the children devoured by war, poverty and injustice."

Still, the pontiff urged people to take heart.

"Do not be overcome by fear, resignation or discouragement," he said, the fact that Jesus lay in a manger shows where "the true riches of life are found: not in money or power, but in relationships and in people.

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Commenting on the "so much consumerism that has wrapped up the mystery" of Christmas, Francis warned of the "danger" of forgetting the meaning of this day.

He insisted that Christmas focuses attention on "the problem of our humanity: the indifference produced by the greedy rush to possess and consume."

"Jesus was born poor, he lived poor and he died poor," said Francis, asking people not to let Christmas go by "without doing something good."

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When the mass ended, the pope, pushed in a wheelchair, descended the basilica with a life-size statue of the Child Jesus on his lap and accompanied by several children with bouquets of flowers.

The statue was then placed in a manger.

The pope kisses a statue of Baby Jesus during the Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Saturday, December 24, 2022.Gregorio Borgia / AP

Francisco, 86, has been using a wheelchair to travel long distances due to knee ligament pain and a cane for shorter distances.

Traditionally, Catholics celebrate Christmas Eve by attending mass at midnight.

But over the years, the starting time at the Vatican has moved forward, reflecting the health or stamina of the popes.

Two years ago, the start of the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica was moved up to 7:30 p.m. to allow the faithful to get home before the nighttime curfew imposed by the Italian government as a measure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although virtually all of the restrictions brought on by the pandemic have long since been lifted in Italy, the Vatican kept the early start time.

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On Sunday, tens of thousands of Romans, tourists and pilgrims are expected to throng St. Peter's Square to hear Pope Francis deliver a speech on world issues and give his blessing.

The speech, known in Latin as

or

to the city and the world, it is usually an occasion to review crises such as war, persecution and famine, in all countries.