Pope Francis dedicated the mass to children who suffer "wars, poverty and injustice"

Pope Francis dedicated the traditional Midnight Mass that he celebrated this Saturday in the Vatican to children who suffer "wars, poverty and injustice", while criticizing humanity's "voracious rush to possess and consume" and asked a Church at the service of the poor.

“While the animals in the stable consume the food, men in the world, hungry for power and money, devour their neighbors, their brothers in the same way. How many wars! ”, criticized the pontiff during the homily that he recited in the Basilica of San Pedro, in his tenth Christmas Eve mass since he was elected in March 2013.

“And in so many places, even today, dignity and freedom are trampled on. And the main victims of human voracity are always the fragile, the weak," Francis later added, in an implicit reference to the conflict that began in Ukraine ten months ago and to the rest of the open wars in the world, such as in Yemen or Syria.

Thus, Francis stated that "this Christmas, as happened to Jesus, a humanity insatiable of money, power and pleasure does not make room for the little ones, for so many unborn children, for the poor, for the forgotten".

“I am thinking above all of the children devoured by wars, poverty and injustice”, he emphasized. In this context, the Pope sent his beggar this week, Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to distribute electricity generators and thermal shirts to the population of Ukraine. The Polish cardinal, in fact, will celebrate Christmas tomorrow in kyiv.

Thus, the Pope issued an “invitation to look at life, politics and history through the eyes of children. In the manger of rejection and discomfort, God accommodates himself, he arrives there, because that is where humanity's problem lies, the indifference generated by the voracious rush to possess and consume”, added Jorge Bergoglio, 86, who He showed remarkably recovered from the knee injury that last year had prevented him from leading some celebrations.

In a ceremony that began at 7:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. in Argentina), the pontiff was accompanied by 25 cardinals, 15 bishops and 200 priests from around the world who concelebrated the mass before some 7,000 people gathered inside the Basilica and another 3,000 who followed. the celebration from the screens in St. Peter's Square, according to the estimate made to Télam by the Vatican.

During the celebration, the Pope also sent messages to the interior of the Roman Curia, asking that the Church look towards those most in need. "We are called to be a Church that adores the poor Jesus and serves Jesus in the poor," he stated, before quoting the Salvadoran saint and martyr Oscar Arnulfo Romero.

"The Church supports and blesses the efforts to transform these structures of injustice and only puts one condition: that the social, economic and political transformations redound to the true benefit of the poor," Francisco said, recalling a text by Romero.

Along these lines, Francisco also maintained that "it is not easy to leave the warm warmth of worldliness to embrace the wild beauty of the Bethlehem grotto, but let us remember that it is not truly Christmas without the poor."

“Without them, Christmas is celebrated, but not that of Jesus. Brothers, sisters, at Christmas, God is poor. May charity be reborn! ”, He summoned.

The Christmas Eve Mass began with the procession of the Pope towards the main altar to the sound of the song of the "Kalenda", which in Latin goes from Creation to the night Jesus was born according to Catholic writings.

In this context, the Pope also dedicated a passage to criticize the consumer character that the celebration has acquired.

"After two millennia from the birth of Jesus, after many Christmases celebrated among decorations and gifts, after all the consumerism that has involved the mystery we celebrate, there is a risk: we know many things about Christmas, but we forget its meaning" lamented the pontiff.

The Pope's schedule of celebrations continues tomorrow at noon, when Francis will address his traditional Christmas message, in which he will review the Vatican's concern for open conflicts on a global level, and will impart the "Urbi et Orbi" Apostolic Blessing, that is, to the city ​​of Rome and the world.

On Monday 26, meanwhile, he will offer the Angelus from the traditional window of the Apostolic Palace. In another of the passages of his homily this Saturday, Francis also recalled that "the humble manger, therefore, brings out the true riches of life: not money and power, but relationships and people."

Before the Mass, the Pope had asked for "World Peace at this sad moment" in a video message sent to the Spanish association "Messengers of Peace".

"But also the smallest peace, the peace of small cities, the peace of the small families that need, the peace of each person," he said in the message sent to the organization that, based in Madrid, works in more than 50 countries in favor of the human and social promotion of the most disadvantaged groups of society, adapting to the different social realities.

After the celebrations this weekend, Francis will celebrate a new Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, January 1, on the occasion of the LVI World Day of Peace. Then, on the same stage, the Pope will celebrate the Eucharist on January 6.

Two days later, on the so-called Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the pontiff will baptize a group of children of Vatican employees in the Sistine Chapel.

"But also the smallest peace, the peace of small cities, the peace of the small families that need, the peace of each person," he said in the message sent to the organization that, based in Madrid, works in more than 50 countries in favor of the human and social promotion of the most disadvantaged groups of society, adapting to the different social realities.