Pope’s Christmas message, greetings and blessing

December 25, 2012 - Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Christmas of 2012 for over a billion Catholics worldwide with a Christmas Eve Mass on Monday night in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. However, he left Tuesday morning’s Christmas Mass to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. But at midday Pope Benedict appeared at the central balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking the square to deliver his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Christmas message and blessing, and greeted the people of the world in more than 60 languages. The event was telecast live by numerous networks around the world. The Latin expression “Urbi et Orbi” means “to the city of Rome and to the world”, as the Pope is both the bishop of Rome as well as the head of the universal Catholic Church. The “Urbi et Orbi” message is delivered twice a year – at Christmas and at Easter. The entire message was delivered in Italian. As Pope Benedict appeared at St. Peter’s central balcony, a vast crowd in the square below broke into a thunderous applause.
The Pope began his Christmas message of 2012 with hearty greetings to all in Rome throughout the world. He said that in the context of the current Year of Faith, he wanted to express his Christmas greetings and wishes with the words of Psalm 85, “Truth has sprung out of the earth”, around which he wove his Urbi et Orbi message. The Pope said that the prophetic words have been fulfilled in Jesus, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary. “Kindness and truth have indeed met; justice and peace have kissed; truth has sprung out of the earth and justice has looked down from heaven.” As Saint Augustine explains it with admirable brevity - the truth is the Son of God and the earth is flesh; which means that “truth has been born of the Virgin Mary.” For whose benefit did so lofty a God become so lowly? Certainly not for his own, but for our great benefit, if we believe”. Here, Pope said, “we see the power of faith.”
The Pope said, God has done everything, the impossible which surpasses all human understanding. He has become a child and entered the human family. “And yet,” the Pope explained, “this same God cannot enter my heart unless I open the door to him. The door of faith!” We could be frightened by this, our inverse omnipotence. This human ability to be closed to God can make us fearful. But see the reality which chases away this gloomy thought, the hope that conquers fear: truth has sprung up! God is born! There is a good earth, a healthy earth, an earth freed of all selfishness and all lack of openness. Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace.
The Pope prayed that peace may bloom for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims. The Pope repeated his appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict. The Holy Father also prayed for peace in the Holy Land “where the Redeemer was born,” and that He may grant “Israelis and Palestinians the courage to end to long years of conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path of negotiation.”
Pope also wished that in North African countries, which are experiencing a major transition in pursuit of a new future, citizens be able to work together to build societies founded on justice and respect for the freedom and dignity of every person. He specially thought of “the beloved land of Egypt,” where the Holy Family took refuge fleeing from Herod.
Pope Benedict also invoked peace on the vast continent of Asia. He wished that the Child Jesus look graciously on the many peoples who dwell in those lands and, in a special way, upon all those who believe in him, particularly in China. “May the King of Peace turn his gaze to the new leaders of the People’s Republic of China for the high task which awaits them,” the Pope said. He expressed hope that in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble people and of the whole world. Pope Benedict also did not forget Sub-Saharan Africa.
“May the Birth of Christ favour the return of peace in Mali and that of concord in Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly among Christians,” the Pope wished. He also wished that the Redeemer bring help and comfort to the refugees from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and grant peace to Kenya, where brutal attacks have struck the civilian population and places of worship.
Pope Benedict prayed for Latin America that the Child Jesus bless the great numbers of the faithful who celebrate him there. “May he increase their human and Christian virtues, sustain all those forced to leave behind their families and their land, and confirm government leaders in their commitment to development and fighting crime,” he said.
Pope Benedict concluded by saying that in the child born of Mary in Bethlehem kindness and truth, justice and peace have become incarnate. He wished every land become a good earth which receives and brings forth kindness and truth, justice and peace.
After the Urbi et Orbi Christmas message, Pope Benedict delivered his Christmas greetings in 65 languages of the world including in Latin, the official language of the Vatican. 15 of them were in Asian languages, namely, Hindi; Tamil; Malayalam; Bengali; Burmese; Urdu; Chinese; Japanese; Korean; Vietnamese; Sinhala of Sri Lanka; Thai; Indonesian; Cambodian and Filipino.

Listen to the Pope's greetings starting with English:

Christmas greetings over; Pope Benedict concluded by imparted his special Christmas ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing. A cardinal announced that all those following the event in St. Peter’s Square as well as via radio, TV and other digital media, could obtain a plenary or full indulgence in keeping with the rules established by the Catholic Church. An indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment in purgatory, due for sins which have already been forgiven at confession. There are a number of conditions that a person seeking an indulgence must fulfil, most importantly a total detachment from sin. Hence those receiving the Pope’s special Christmas blessing could obtain a full or plenary indulgence.

Receive the Pope's blessing:

Earlier, Monday evening, Christmas eve, soon after a larger-than-life nativity scene was unveiled in St Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI appeared briefly at his studio window overlooking the square and lit a small peace candle. The tradition of lighting a peace lamp on the windowsill was begun by late Pope John Paul II in 1981, following the imposition of martial law in his native Poland. The flame of this year’s peace candle was lit from the flame of a lamp at the Grotto of the Nativity, in Bethlehem, where Christ was born.
Later Monday night, Pope Benedict ushered in Christmas with a solemn Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, urging Christians worldwide to find room for God in their fast-paced lives filled with the latest technological gadgets. At the mass for some 10,000 people in Christendom’s largest church and broadcast to millions of others on television, the 85-year-old pope, marking the eighth Christmas season of his pontificate, wove his homily around the theme of God's place in today's modern world. He cited the Gospel account of Mary and Joseph who finding no room at an inn were driven into the stable where they found shelter for Baby Jesus. He said, he said when people find no room for God in their lives, they will soon find no room for others - the homeless, the refugees and migrants. "Do we have time and space for him? Do we not actually turn away God himself? We begin to do so when we have no time for him," said the pope, wearing gold and white vestments.
"The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent. Our time is already completely full," he said. Pope Benedict urged people to reflect upon what they find time for in their busy, technology-driven lives. The German Pope said societies had reached the point where many people's thinking processes did not leave any room even for the existence of God. "Even if he seems to knock at the door of our thinking, he has to be explained away. If thinking is to be taken seriously, it must be structured in such a way that the 'God hypothesis' becomes superfluous," he said. "There is no room for him. Not even in our feelings and desires is there any room for him. We want ourselves. We want what we can seize hold of, we want happiness that is within our reach, we want our plans and purposes to succeed. We are so 'full' of ourselves that there is no room left for God."
The Pope regretted that many wrongfully regard monotheism, or belief in one God, as a cause of intolerance and violence, arguing that since monotheism claims to possess the sole truth, it seeks to impose itself on everyone. But the Pope blamed this not on religion but on its abuse. On the contrary, he argued, when God’s light shines over man and within him, man acquire his inviolable dignity. Pointing to Christ our peace, the Pope wished that swords may be turned into ploughshares, that instead of weapons for warfare, practical aid may be given to the suffering.
In his homily at the Christmas night Mass, the Holy Father also called for peace among Israelis and Palestinians and for the people of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. He prayed that in those lands where our faith was born, Christians may be able to continue living there, that Christians and Muslims may build up their countries side-by-side in God's peace."