VATICAN CITY/LONDON – Pope Benedict XVI prayed for a rebirth of peace in the Middle East and encouraged Catholics in Iraq and China to resist persecution in his Christmas message read amid heightened security on Saturday.
In the Urbi et Orbi(To the City and the World) message, he said the Christmas message of peace and hope was always new, surprising and daring and should spur everyone in the peaceful struggle for justice.
Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people braving the chill and drizzle in the square below, he delivered Christmas greetings in 65 languages, including those spoken in the world’s trouble spots.
“May the light of Christmas shine forth anew in the land where Jesus was born, and inspire Israelis and Palestinians to strive for a just and peaceful co-existence,” he said.
The pope said he hoped Christmas would bring consolation to Christians in Iraq and all the Middle East, where the Vatican fears violence, such as an October attack by militants on a Baghdad church killing 52 people, is fuelling a Christian exodus from the region.
He also directly criticised China, where recently Catholics loyal to the pope were forced to attend a series of events by the state-backed church which does not recognise his authority, bringing relations with the Vatican to a low point.
Pope Benedict prayed Christmas would “strengthen the spirit of faith, patience and courage of the faithful of the church in mainland China” and decried “the limitations imposed on their freedom of religion and conscience . . .”
He asked God to “grant perseverance to all those Christian communities enduring discrimination and persecution, and inspire political and religious leaders to be committed to full respect for the religious freedom of all”.
Police were on heightened security in the Vatican and in Rome two days after parcel bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome. Anarchists claimed responsibility for the attacks, which injured one person at each embassy. More police than normal were seen along the main street leading from the Tiber river to the Vatican but the atmosphere in the square was festive despite the security and the rain.
In his sermon at Friday night’s Mass for some 10,000 people inside the basilica, the pope, celebrating the sixth Christmas since his election, prayed for oppressors to be punished.
Vatican guards were more vigilant on Friday night following security breaches for two consecutive years at Christmas Eve Masses by the same woman, Susanna Maiolo.
Last year, the woman, who has had a history of mental problems, jumped over a barricade as the pope walked up the basilica’s main aisle and managed to pull him to the floor. The year before, she was stopped before she could reach him.
In Britain, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans, accused society’s richest people, in his Christmas Day sermon, of failing to share the pain of the economic crisis and public spending cuts.
Speaking at Canterbury Cathedral, Dr Williams said Britain would only be able to cope with the economic fallout if people were confident that the hardship was being shared fairly.
In a wide-ranging sermon that included prayers for Christians being persecuted in Iraq and Zimbabwe, Dr Williams said he also saw signs of hope for the year ahead. The marriage of Prince William, second in line to the throne, and Kate Middleton in April 2011 would be a “profoundly joyful event”, he said.
“It is certainly cause for celebration that any couple, let alone this particular couple, should want to embark on the adventure of Christian marriage, because any and every Christian marriage is a sign of hope, since it is a sign and sacrament of God’s own committed love,” he said.
“Confidence isn’t in huge supply at the moment, given the massive crises of trust that have shaken us all in the last couple of years and the lasting sense that the most prosperous have yet to shoulder their load,” Dr Williams said.
“We shall have that confidence only if there are signs that everyone is committed to their neighbour.”
The archbishop urged people to avoid selfishly trying to protect themselves at the expense of others when the cuts bite.
Dr Williams has previously criticised parts of the financial services sector for practices that threatened to destabilise society. – (Reuters)