Speaking during the traditional Rooster Mass, held this Friday (24th), Christmas Eve, Pope Francis said that people indifferent to the poor offend God and asked everyone to “look beyond the lights and decorations” and remember those most in need.
On the ninth Christmas of his pontificate, the pope celebrated a solemn vigil mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for about 2,000 people, with participation restricted by Covid-19 to about one-fifth the size seen in pre-pandemic years.
Minutes before the ceremony began, Italy posted its second consecutive record in the daily number of Covid-19 cases, with 50,599 new infections.
Dressed in white, the high pontiff delivered his homily around the argument that Jesus was born with nothing.
“Brothers and sisters, in front of the crib, we contemplate what is central, in addition to all the lights and decorations, which are beautiful. We contemplate the child”, he said at mass celebrated together with more than 200 cardinals, bishops and priests. All but him wore masks.
Francisco, who turned 85 last week, said the baby Jesus born into poverty must remind people that serving others is more important than seeking social status or visibility or spending a lifetime in pursuit of success.
“It’s in them [os pobres] that he wants to be honored”, said Francisco, who makes the defense of the poor the central point of his pontificate.
“On this night of love, let us have only one fear: offending God’s love, hurting it by despising the poor with our indifference. Jesus loves them dearly and one day they will receive us into heaven,” he said.
He quoted a line from an Emily Dickinson poem: “Whoever has not found heaven —down here—will fail in it up there.” The pope added in his own words: “let us not lose sight of heaven; let us take care of Jesus now, caressing him in the needy, because it is in them that he will make himself present”.
Saying that the workers — the shepherds — were the first to see the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, Francisco said that work must have dignity and lamented that many people die in work accidents around the world.
“On the Day of Life, let’s say it again: no more deaths in the workplace! And we are going to commit to guaranteeing that”, he said.
Reference: CNN Brasil

I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.