http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/world/europe/26pope.html?scp=7&sq=catholic&st=cse
December 26, 2008
Pope’s Christmas Greeting Focuses on Pursuit of Peace
By RACHEL DONADIO
ROME — Pope Benedict XVI called for peace in the Middle East, Darfur and
Zimbabwe and stability in other war-torn lands in a particularly politically
pointed Christmas greeting to the city and the world.
Delivering his annual “Urbi et Orbi” message from the balcony of St. Peter’
s Basilica, the pope also spoke to the fears of people suffering from the
financial crisis.
“Wherever an increasingly uncertain future is regarded with apprehension,
even in affluent nations: in each of these places may the light of Christmas
shine forth and encourage all people to do their part in a spirit of
authentic solidarity,” he said. “If people look only to their own
interests, our world will certainly fall apart.”
Echoing a theme he struck Christmas Eve in his midnight Mass homily, the pope
called for peace in “the Holy Land, where the horizon seems once again bleak
for Israelis and Palestinians.” He added: “May it spread throughout
Lebanon, Iraq and the whole Middle East.”
Talks are under way for the pope to visit Israel and the Palestinian
territories as early as this spring, although the Vatican has not officially
announced the trip.
The Vatican, which opposed the war in Iraq, has been particularly outspoken
in its concern about the state of Christians in Arab lands, who increasingly
face persecution and emigration.
The pope blessed the efforts of “all those who, rather than resigning
themselves to the twisted logic of conflict and violence, prefer instead the
path of dialogue and negotiation as the means of resolving tensions within
each country and finding just and lasting solutions to the conflicts
troubling the region.”
Benedict also turned his attention to Africa, where he is expected to make
his first visit in March, traveling to Angola and Cameroon.
“This light, which brings transformation and renewal, is besought by the
people of Zimbabwe, in Africa, trapped for all too long in a political and
social crisis which, sadly, keeps worsening,” he said.
The pope also prayed for “the men and women of the Democratic Republic of
Congo, especially in the war-torn region of Kivu; Darfur, in Sudan; and
Somalia, whose interminable sufferings are the tragic consequence of the lack
of stability and peace.”
Pope Benedict blessed the faithful in 64 languages, adding Icelandic this
year.
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