Below is the full text of Pope Francis’ message, which he delivered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican for Christmas, at noon today (local time), before giving the traditional blessing The city and the world (to the city and the world)
Dear brothers and sisters: Merry Christmas! Last night the mystery that never ceases to amaze and move us was renewed: the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. This is how the shepherds of Bethlehem found him, full of joy, while the angels sang: “Glory to God and peace to men.” Peace to men!
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Yes, this event, which occurred more than two thousand years ago, is renewed by the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit of love and life that fertilized the womb of Mary and formed Jesus from her human flesh. And so today, in the concerns of our time, the eternal Word of salvation is truly incarnated again, which says to each man and each woman; that tells the whole world this message: I love you, I forgive you, come back to me, the door of my heart is open for you.
Brothers and sisters, the door to God’s heart is always open, let us return to Him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us. Let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by Him, let us allow ourselves to be reconciled with Him. God always forgives, God forgives everything, let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by Him.
This is the meaning of the Holy Door of the Jubilee, which I opened last night here in San Pedro: it represents Jesus, Door of salvation open to all. Jesus is the Door that the merciful Father has opened in the middle of the world, in the middle of history, so that we can all return to Him.
We are all like lost sheep and we need a Shepherd and a Door to return to the Father’s house. Jesus is the Shepherd, Jesus is the Door.
Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid. The Door is open, wide open. No need to knock on the door, it’s open. Come, let us be reconciled with God, and then we will be reconciled with ourselves and we will be able to reconcile with each other, even with our enemies.
The mercy of God can do everything, unties every knot, breaks down every wall that divides, the mercy of God dissipates hatred and the spirit of revenge. Come, Jesus is the Door of peace.
We often stop at the threshold; We do not have the courage to go through it, because it challenges us. Entering the Door requires the sacrifice of taking a step forward, of leaving behind strife and divisions. Entering through the door requires a step, a small sacrifice: taking a step for a very big thing requires taking a step to abandon ourselves in the open arms of the Child who is the Prince of Peace.
This Christmas, the beginning of the Jubilee Year, I invite all people, all peoples and nations to muster up the courage to cross the Door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the weapons, to silence the weapons! and overcome divisions.
Let the weapons fall silent in the martyred Ukraine. May we have the audacity to open the door to negotiations and gestures of dialogue and encounter, to reach a just and lasting peace.
Let the guns fall silent in the Middle East. With my eyes fixed on the cradle of Bethlehem, I direct my thoughts to the Christian communities of Palestine and Israel, in particular to the beloved community of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very serious. Let the fire cease, the hostages be released and the population exhausted by hunger and war be helped.
I am also close to the Christian community of Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this very delicate moment. May the doors of dialogue and peace be opened throughout the region, torn by conflict. And I also want to remember the Libyan people here, encouraging them to seek solutions that allow national reconciliation.
May the birth of the Savior bring a time of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from the measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as to the populations of the east of that country and those of Burkina Faso, from Mali, Niger and Mozambique.
The humanitarian crisis that hits them is caused mainly by armed conflicts and the plague of terrorism and is aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, which causes the loss of human life and the displacement of millions of people. I also think of the populations of the countries of the Horn of Africa for whom I implore the gifts of peace, concord and fraternity.
May the Son of the Almighty sustain the commitment of the international community to favor the access of the civilian population of Sudan to humanitarian aid and to launch new negotiations with the purpose of a ceasefire.
May the announcement of Christmas bring comfort to the inhabitants of Myanmar, who, due to continuous armed clashes, suffer great suffering and are forced to flee their homes.
May the Child Jesus inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent, in order to find effective solutions in truth and justice as soon as possible, to promote social harmony, in particular I think of Haiti, Venezuela , Colombia and Nicaragua, and work, especially during this Jubilee Year, to build the common good and rediscover the dignity of each person, overcoming political divisions.
May the Jubilee be an occasion to tear down all the walls of separation: the ideological ones, which so often mark political life, and the material ones, such as the division that has affected the island of Cyprus for fifty years and that has lacerated the human fabric. and social. I hope that a shared solution can be reached, ending the division while fully respecting the rights and dignity of all Cypriot communities.
Jesus, the eternal Word of God made man, is the wide-open Door that we are invited to pass through to rediscover the meaning of our existence and the sacredness of each life, all life is sacred, and to recover the fundamental values of human family.
He awaits us at that threshold. It awaits each of us, especially the most fragile. Wait for the children, all the children who suffer from war and hunger. Wait for the elderly, often forced to live in conditions of loneliness and abandonment.
He waits for those who have lost their own home or are fleeing their land, trying to find a safe haven. Wait for those who have lost or cannot find work. Wait for those in prison who, despite everything, remain children of God. Wait for those who are persecuted for their faith, and there are many.
On this holiday, may we not lack our gratitude to those who do their utmost for good in a silent and faithful way. I think of parents, educators and teachers, who have the great responsibility of training new generations; I think of the health personnel, of the law enforcement, of all those who carry out works of charity, especially of the missionaries spread around the world, who bring light and comfort to so many people in difficulty. We want to say to all of them: thank you, thank you!
Brothers and sisters, may the Jubilee be the occasion to forgive debts, especially those that burden the poorest countries. Each of us is called to forgive the offenses received, because the Son of God, who was born in the cold darkness of the night, forgives all our offenses. He has come to heal us and forgive us.
Pilgrims of hope, let us go to meet them. Let us open the doors of our hearts to Him, as He has opened wide the door of His to us. I wish you all a peaceful and holy Christmas.
Papa Francisco
Pope Francis, born on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires (Argentina), is the first Latin American Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, assuming the papacy on March 13, 2013. His approachable style and his emphasis on mercy They have left a distinctive mark on his pontificate.