At noon on December 25, Pope Francis delivered his Christmas message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, as usual, and after praying the Angelus, he gave an Urbi et Orbi blessing to Rome and the whole world.
We publish the translation of Pope Francis' speech in its entirety.
Dear brothers and sisters, Merry Christmas!
The Word of God, which created the world and gives meaning to history and our human journey, became flesh and came to dwell among us. It appeared as a whisper, as the rustle of a light breeze, to stir up the wonder of human hearts opening to the mystery.
The Word became flesh in order to enter into dialogue with us. God does not want to speak a monologue, but initiates a dialogue.
Because God himself is a dialogue as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, an eternal and infinite loving and life-giving community.
When God came into the world in the person of the incarnate Word, he showed us the way of encounter and dialogue. Moreover, He himself embodied this path so that we can get to know it and walk it full of trust and hope.
My brothers, "what would the world be without the patient dialogue of so many generous people who have held families and communities together?" (Fratelli tutti encyclical, no. 198). During the epidemic, we become even more aware of all this. Our ability to socialize has been severely tested; the tendency to withdraw, to solve everything alone, to refuse to go out, to meet and to act together increases. There is also a danger at the international level that we do not want to engage in dialogue, that because of the complex crisis we choose the shortest paths and do not embark on the much longer paths of dialogue, even though only these would lead to the resolution of conflicts and to mutual and lasting benefits for everyone.
While the news of the Savior's birth, which is the source of true peace, is heard in us and in the whole world, we actually see that there are so many conflicts, crises and contradictions that surround us. They seem to never end and it's as if we don't even notice them.
We have become so used to this that the enormous tragedies are now covered with silence. We risk no longer hearing the painful and desperate cries of many of our brothers and sisters.
Let's think about the Syrian people, who have been living in a war for more than a decade, which has claimed so many victims and displaced countless refugees. Consider Iraq, which is still struggling to recover from a long conflict. Let us hear the cry of the children, which rises from Yemen, where a huge tragedy, forgotten by everyone, resulting in so many deaths every day, has been going on for years, surrounded by the silence of the world.
Let's remember the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, which continue without a solution, causing increasingly serious social and political consequences. Let's not forget Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born and which is experiencing difficult times due to the economic difficulties caused by the epidemic. This makes it impossible for pilgrims to reach the Holy Land, and this has a negative impact on the lives of the population. Consider Lebanon, which is suffering an unprecedented crisis, creating a number of troubling economic and social conditions.
But behold, a sign of hope shines in the heart of the night!
Today, as Dante says, "the Love that moves the sun and all the stars" (Par., XXXIII, 145. [translation by Mihály Babits]), has become flesh. He came in human form, shared our dramas and broke through the wall of our indifference. He stretches out his arms to us in the cold of the night: he needs everything, but he comes to give us everything. We ask him for the strength to open up to dialogue. On this holiday, let us pray to Him to revive the desire for reconciliation and brotherhood in the hearts of all people. We turn to him with our supplication.
Little Jesus, give peace and harmony to the Middle East and the whole world! Support all those committed to providing humanitarian aid to those forced to flee their countries; comfort the Afghan people, who have been subjected to the ordeal of conflict for more than forty years, which has forced many to leave their homeland!
King of Nations, help the actors of political life to reconcile the peoples saddened by tensions and oppositions. Support the people of Myanmar, where intolerance and violence often strike the Christian community and their holy places and cast a shadow over the peaceful face of this people.
Be the light and support of all those who believe in meeting and dialogue and work on it, even against the tide. Don't let the cancer-like conflict form new metastases in Ukraine!
Prince of Peace, help Ethiopia to find the path of reconciliation and peace through honest confrontation that puts the needs of the people first. Hear the cry of the people of the Sahel, who are victims of the violence of international terrorism. Turn your eyes to the people of North Africa, who are suffering from so much division, unemployment and economic inequality. Ease the suffering of our many conflict-ridden Sudanese and South Sudanese brothers and sisters.
Let the values of solidarity, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence prevail in the hearts of the peoples of the American continent, through dialogue, mutual respect and recognition of the rights and cultural values of all people.
Son of God, comfort the victims of violence against women, which has spread even more during the epidemic. Give hope to children and young people who have become victims of bullying and abuse. Give comfort and love to the elderly, especially the loneliest. Give peace and unity to families, because this is the primary place of education and the fabric of society.
God who is with us, give health to the sick and inspire people of good will to find more suitable solutions to overcome the health crisis and its consequences. Make the hearts generous so that the most needy people can receive the necessary medical care, especially vaccinations. Reward all those who take care of their family members, the sick and the most vulnerable with care and devotion.
Child of Bethlehem, allow the many military and civilian prisoners of war of the current conflicts to return home as soon as possible, as well as those imprisoned for political reasons. Do not let us be indifferent to the drama of migrants, emigrants and refugees. Their gaze asks us not to turn away from them, not to deny the common humanity in all of us, to make their stories our own and not to forget their dramas.
Eternal Word, who became flesh, grant that we take care of our common house, which also suffers from the carelessness with which we often treat it, prompt those who hold political public office to reach effective agreements, so that future generations can live in an environment that respects life.
Dear brothers and sisters,
our time has so many difficulties, but hope is much stronger, because "a child has been born to us" (Is 9:5). He is the Word of God who became a child who can only cry and needs everything.
Like every other child, he wanted to learn to speak, so that we could learn to listen to God, our Father, listen to each other and start a brotherly dialogue.
Oh, Christ was born for us, teach us to walk with you on the paths of peace!
Merry Christmas for everyone!
Translated by: Csaba Török
Photo: Vatican News
