Pope Benedict's Christmas message for the UK was broadcast as the Thought For The
Day on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. In his message, he recalled this year’s apostolic
voyage to Britain, and said he was “glad to have the opportunity to greet you once
again.”
Here is the full text of the Pope’s message: "Recalling with great
fondness my four-day visit to the United Kingdom last September, I am glad to have
the opportunity to greet you once again, and indeed to greet listeners everywhere
as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. Our thoughts turn back to a moment
in history when God's chosen people, the children of Israel, were living in intense
expectation. They were waiting for the Messiah that God had promised to send, and
they pictured him as a great leader who would rescue them from foreign domination
and restore their freedom.
God is always faithful to his promises, but he
often surprises us in the way he fulfils them. The child that was born in Bethlehem
did indeed bring liberation, but not only for the people of that time and place -
he was to be the Saviour of all people throughout the world and throughout history.
And it was not a political liberation that he brought, achieved through military means:
rather, Christ destroyed death for ever and restored life by means of his shameful
death on the Cross. And while he was born in poverty and obscurity, far from the centres
of earthly power, he was none other than the Son of God. Out of love for us he took
upon himself our human condition, our fragility, our vulnerability, and he opened
up for us the path that leads to the fullness of life, to a share in the life of God
himself. As we ponder this great mystery in our hearts this Christmas, let us give
thanks to God for his goodness to us, and let us joyfully proclaim to those around
us the good news that God offers us freedom from whatever weighs us down: he gives
us hope, he brings us life.
Dear Friends from Scotland, England, Wales, and
indeed every part of the English-speaking world, I want you to know that I keep all
of you very much in my prayers during this Holy Season. I pray for your families,
for your children, for those who are sick, and for those who are going through any
form of hardship at this time. I pray especially for the elderly and for those who
ar0e approaching the end of their days. I ask Christ, the light of the nations, to
dispel whatever darkness there may be in your lives and to grant to every one of you
the grace of a peaceful and joyful Christmas. May God bless all of you!"