Pope delivers ‘Urbi et Orbi’ message in St. Peter’s Square
Posted December 25, 2011 9:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Pope Benedict called for an end to violence in Syria and a resumption of Middle East peace talks on Sunday on a Christmas Day marred by a bomb blast at a Catholic Church in Nigeria.
The leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Roman Catholics delivered his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square on a crisp but clear day.
At the end of his address, the 84-year-old pope celebrating the seventh Christmas season of his pontificate, delivered Christmas greetings in 65 languages, including Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic and Amharic.
“May the Lord come to the aid of our world torn by so many conflicts which even today stain the earth with blood,” he said, speaking in Italian from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
“May the Prince of Peace grant peace and stability to that Land where he chose to come into the world, and encourage the resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. May he bring an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed,” he said.
At least 5,000 people have been killed in nine months of violence that has rocked the Arab nation in clashes between government forces and protesters calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Together let us ask God’s help for the people of the Horn of Africa, who suffer from hunger and food shortages, aggravated at times by a persistent state of insecurity”, said Benedict, while also praying for Thailand and the Philippines, “still enduring grave hardships as a result of the recent floods.”
The pope did not mention a blast at a Catholic church on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital Abuja in his address, which was prepared before news of explosion arrived in Rome.
According to early reports, at least 19 people were killed.
While his Christmas Day message took a partly political slant, mentioning some of the world’s flash points, Benedict’s Christmas Eve homily some 14 hours before lamented how the true meaning of the day had been overshadowed by materialism.
In that homily, he urged humanity to see through the superficial glitter and commercialism of the season and rediscover the real significance of the humble birth of Jesus.
He also urged that those marking the holiday in poverty, suffering or far from home not be forgotten.
At the start of Saturday night’s Christmas Eve service, he was wheeled up the central aisle of St Peter’s Basilica standing on a mobile platform which he has been using since October.
The Vatican says it is to conserve his strength, allow more people to see him and guard against attacks such as one on Christmas Eve, 2009, when a woman lunged at him and knocked him to the ground. He is believed to suffer from arthritis in the legs.
But he seemed to be in good shape during the solemn service in Christendom’s largest church as choirs sang, cantors chanted and organ music filled the centuries-old basilica.
Benedict urged his listeners at the Saturday night Mass to find peace in the symbol of the powerless Christ child in a world continually threatened by violence.
The pope continues his Christmas and New Year’s celebrations on Dec 31 with a year-end Mass of thanksgiving known by its Latin name Te Deum.
On January 1 he marks the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace, on January 6 he marks the Epiphany and on January 8 will baptize several new-borns in the Sistine Chapel.
He is due to visit Mexico and Cuba in March.
