Christmas mass in St. Peter’s Basilica: Pope promotes “true wealth of life” – politics

According to Pope Francis, Christmas is not Christmas without caring for the poor. In his sermon, he castigates the wars in the world, but does not directly mention the situation in Ukraine.

After a year marked by the bloody conflict in Ukraine, Pope Francis castigated the wars and conflicts in the world on Christmas Eve. “People hungry for power and money even consume their neighbors in the world, their brothers and sisters. How many wars are there! And in how many places are dignity and freedom trampled underfoot,” said the head of the Catholic Church at the Christmas Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. However, he did not directly name the war in Ukraine in his sermon.

At the service, which was celebrated for the first time after two years of Corona in front of around 7,000 guests in the full St. Peter’s Basilica and in front of around 3,000 people outside on St. Peter’s Square, Francis called the weak and poor the “main sufferers of human greed”.

Francis presided over the Mass, but celebrated it largely sitting next to the altar because of his knee pain. The Argentine mentioned that Jesus was born without luxury and comfort – but that “the true richness of life came to light”, namely interpersonal relationships. “We should remember that without the poor there is no real Christmas. Christmas is also celebrated without them, but not the Christmas of Jesus,” Francis preached. “Brothers, sisters, God is poor at Christmas: may charity blossom again!”

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