Pope blesses crib statues of Baby Jesus

(December 15, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday blessed little statues of baby Jesus that that the children of Rome brought him and urged them to pray that the Babe of Bethlehem may remain in their homes as a sign of his love. Pope Benedict observed a tradition begun by Pope Pius XII in which children of Rome’s Catholic families bring the statues of Baby Jesus which they place in the Nativity scenes at home to be blessed by the Pope on the 3^rd Sunday of Advent. “For me it’s real pleasure to renew the beautiful tradition of blessing of the statues of baby Jesus for the crib,” the Pope told some 40,000 pilgrims and tourists gathered below his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square to pray the midday ‘Angelus’ prayer with him. The Pope invited the children to join him in praying to the Father so that the images of Jesus, who is about to come among us may be a sign of His presence and love in our homes. “Benevolent Father, shower your blessing on us as well, on our parents, our families and our friends. Open our hearts, that we may receive Jesus with joy, always do what he asks of us, and see him in all of those who are in need of our love,” the Pope prayed.
After the ‘Angelus’, Pope Benedict invited the faithful to be generous in helping parish communities in Rome that do not have a church in which to celebrate the liturgy. The Diocese of Rome was marking a day in celebration of the new church buildings that have been built or are in construction. "There have been some new parish complexes built in recent years but there are still communities who gather in provisional and inadequate buildings," the Pope noted. After thanking those who supported this initiative, the Pontiff addressed an invitation to those present in St. Peter's Square: "Let us help the parishes of Rome build their church."Pope Benedict also addressed English-speaking faithful on Advent. Listen:
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for today’s Angelus prayer. On this Third Sunday of Advent we are called to rejoice because the Lord is near. As we renew our hope in Jesus and look forward to his coming, may we experience in our lives the deep joy of his salvation. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome, and a blessed Sunday!