ROME – Reviewing the global situation at the close of 2019, Pope Francis on Christmas Day offered special prayers for Syria and the Middle East, Venezuela and the Americas, the Democratic Republic of Congo and all of Africa, and Ukraine in Europe, in each case urging efforts to ensure peace, security and an end to suffering.
“May Emmanuel bring light to all the suffering members of our human family. May he soften our often stony and self-centered hearts, and make them channels of his love,” the pope said in his annual Christmas day Urbi et Orbi blessing.
Speaking to pilgrims from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on a mild Roman Christmas, with sun and temperatures near 60 degrees, Francis prayed that the infant Jesus would “bring his smile, through our poor faces, to all the children of the world: to those who are abandoned and those who suffer violence.”
“Through our frail hands, may he clothe those who have nothing to wear, give bread to the hungry and heal the sick. Through our friendship, such as it is, may he draw close to the elderly and the lonely, to migrants and the marginalized,” he said.
The pope’s Urbi et Orbi blessing, which goes out to the city of Rome and to the world, is only given twice a year, on Christmas and Easter. Those present or tuning in via television or radio receive a plenary indulgence, which is offered to faithful who, by fulfilling certain acts and conditions of devotion, receive the full forgiveness of sin and its consequences.
As he traditionally does in his address for the Urbi et Orbi, Francis highlighted global conflicts raging throughout the world.
In the Middle East, he made special mention of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and the Holy Land, praying specifically for the Syrian conflict, that God would “stir the consciences of men and women of good will,” and “inspire governments and the international community to find solutions to allow the peoples of that region to live together in peace and security, and put an end to their sufferings.”
He also prayed that Jesus would shed light on the Holy Land, “where he was born as the Savior of mankind, and where so many people – struggling but not discouraged – still await a time of peace, security and prosperity.”
Turning to Latin America, “where a number of nations are experiencing a time of social and political upheaval,” the pope offered special prayers for the people of Venezuela, “long tried by their political and social tensions.”
“May he bless the efforts of those who spare no effort to promote justice and reconciliation and to overcome the various crises and the many forms of poverty that offend the dignity of each person,” he said.
Francis also offered his prayers for peace in Ukraine, which “yearns for concrete solutions for an enduring peace,” and to the entire African continent, where both social and political conflicts have forced thousands of people to flee, “depriving them of a home and family.”
He offered his prayers for all those suffering due to violence, natural disasters or the outbreak of diseases, and to those persecuted for their faith, including missionaries and faithful who have been kidnapped. He also prayed for victims of attacks by extremist groups, specifically mentioning Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.
In a separate message to the political leaders of South Sudan, who are struggling to implement a peace agreement, Francis assured officials of his closeness as they work toward a “swift implementation” of the peace accords, whose implementation has consistently been delayed due to disagreements over terms.
In the message, issued jointly with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the pope prayed for “peace and prosperity” in the country, asking that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, would “enlighten you and guide your steps in the way of goodness and truth, and bring to fulfilment our desire to visit your beloved country.”
Both Welby and Francis have voiced their commitment to visiting South Sudan in 2020 if the country is able to move forward in implementing the peace agreements. They had intended to make the visit in 2016, but security conditions did not allow the trip to take place.
RELATED: As South Sudan religious leaders push peace, pope dangles a visit
Once again stepping up in defense of migrants and refugees, the pope in his address asked that God would sustain all those who are forced to emigrate due to circumstances at home, saying injustice is the driving force “that makes them cross deserts and seas that become cemeteries.”
“It is injustice that forces them to ensure unspeakable forms of abuse, enslavement of every kind and torture in inhumane detention camps. It is injustice that turns them away from places where they might have hope for a dignified life, but instead find themselves before walls of indifference,” he said.
In the midst of such tragedies and conflicts, the birth of Christ is a “great mercy,” he said, saying Jesus’s incarnation is “like a small light flickering in the cold and darkness of the night.”
“There is darkness in human hearts, yet the light of Christ is greater still. There is darkness in personal, family and social relationships, but the light of Christ is greater. There is darkness in economic, geopolitical and ecological conflicts, yet greater still is the light of Christ,” he said.
“On this joyful Christmas Day, may he bring his tenderness to all and brighten the darkness of this world,” he said.
Follow Elise Harris on Twitter: @eharris_it
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