During Christmas Mass, the Pope condemns the “thirst for wealth and power” which causes men to “devour even their neighbors”
Without specifically mentioning the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis on Saturday, during the traditional Christmas Mass, condemned the greed and thirst for power that make some suffer “eat their neighbors”.
“The men and women of our world, in their thirst for wealth and power, devour even their neighbors, their brothers and sistershe declared. How many wars have we seen! And how many places, even today, human dignity and freedom are treated with contempt! »
Since Russia invaded its neighbor in February, Francis has repeatedly condemned the atrocities of that war, which he described as unprovoked aggression.
For the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, where attendance was limited, around 7,000 people were able to attend Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica, where Francis celebrated the tenth Christmas of his pontificate. Around 4,000 other people could also follow her outside in Peter’s Square on a relatively mild night.
Due to chronic knee pain that prevents him from standing for long, the pope has entrusted a cardinal with the task of conducting most of the celebrations in front of the altar in the largest church in Christendom. Sitting next to the altar for most of the Mass, Francis condemned greed and consumerism and urged believers to return to the source of the Christmas message and think of those suffering from war and poverty.
“As always, the main victims of this human greed are the weak and the vulnerable”he said again, condemning “a world thirsty for money, power and pleasure…”. “I believe above all in the children who are consumed by war, poverty and injustice”also mention “unborn children, poor and forgotten”.
