Benedict XVI, who has recently joined Twitter, likened people in the 21st
Century to the innkeepers in Bethlehem who had no space for Mary and Joseph,
meaning that Jesus was born in stable.
In his address at Christmas mass in St Peter’s Basilica he said that we have
all become too busy and “full of ourselves” to make room for others.
The 85-year-old has himself shown signs of slowing down in recent months but
has nevertheless thrown himself into the world of new technology.
He joined Twitter earlier this month and already has more than two million
followers.
But he has been careful to conserve his energy: the service itself was brought
forward by two hours to avoid the 85-year-old pontiff being unduly tired.
He told worshippers: “The great moral question of our attitude toward the
homeless, toward refugees and migrants takes on a deeper dimension: Do we
really have room for God when he seeks to enter under our roof? Do we have
time and space for him?
"The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have.
“And God? The question of God never seems urgent.”
He spoke of fears that "we are so 'full' of ourselves that there is no room left for God."
He added: "that means there is no room for others either - for children, for the poor, for the stranger."
Later addressing pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, he made offered blessings to the Communist leadership in China despite a worsening standoff over religious freedom in the country.
He spoke of the new leadership’s “high task” of leading a “noble people”, while issuing a plea for the Church to be given “esteem”.
He also decried the slaughter of the "defenseless" in Syria and spoke of his hopes for countries which experiences the Arab Spring, especially what he described as the “beloved land Egypt”. In comments given added significance on Christmas Day, he spoke of “the Land where the Redeemer was born” urging Israelis and Palestinians to find the “courage” to take negotiations seriously.
It comes just days after the Pope met the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Wearing a scarlet cape trimmed with ermine, he received a rapturous greeting from thousands of pilgrims in the square in which he offered Christmas greetings in 65 languages.
Earlier the traditional midnight mass at St Peter’s Basilica was brought forward by two hours to avoid the 85-year-old pontiff being unduly tired.
Turning to the bloodshed in Syria, he said: May peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims.”
He issued specific calls for an end to fighting, easier access aid and talks aimed at a political solution to the conflict.
For the first time, he singled out the growing Church in China in his Christmas address and offered greetings to the new leadership under Xi Jinping.
“May the King of Peace turn his gaze to the new leaders of the People's Republic of China for the high task which awaits them,” he said.
“I express my hope that, in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble People and of the whole world.”
It comes after a year which has seen a marked deterioration in relations between the Vatican and Beijing, centred on the treatment of a Bishop who spoke out over state interference in the church.
Earlier this month Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, the auxiliary bishop in Shanghai, who has been under house arrest since the summer, was effectively stripped of his title by the regime.
"The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have.
“And God? The question of God never seems urgent.”
He spoke of fears that "we are so 'full' of ourselves that there is no room left for God."
He added: "that means there is no room for others either - for children, for the poor, for the stranger."
Later addressing pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, he made offered blessings to the Communist leadership in China despite a worsening standoff over religious freedom in the country.
He spoke of the new leadership’s “high task” of leading a “noble people”, while issuing a plea for the Church to be given “esteem”.
He also decried the slaughter of the "defenseless" in Syria and spoke of his hopes for countries which experiences the Arab Spring, especially what he described as the “beloved land Egypt”. In comments given added significance on Christmas Day, he spoke of “the Land where the Redeemer was born” urging Israelis and Palestinians to find the “courage” to take negotiations seriously.
It comes just days after the Pope met the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Wearing a scarlet cape trimmed with ermine, he received a rapturous greeting from thousands of pilgrims in the square in which he offered Christmas greetings in 65 languages.
Earlier the traditional midnight mass at St Peter’s Basilica was brought forward by two hours to avoid the 85-year-old pontiff being unduly tired.
Turning to the bloodshed in Syria, he said: May peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims.”
He issued specific calls for an end to fighting, easier access aid and talks aimed at a political solution to the conflict.
For the first time, he singled out the growing Church in China in his Christmas address and offered greetings to the new leadership under Xi Jinping.
“May the King of Peace turn his gaze to the new leaders of the People's Republic of China for the high task which awaits them,” he said.
“I express my hope that, in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble People and of the whole world.”
It comes after a year which has seen a marked deterioration in relations between the Vatican and Beijing, centred on the treatment of a Bishop who spoke out over state interference in the church.
Earlier this month Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, the auxiliary bishop in Shanghai, who has been under house arrest since the summer, was effectively stripped of his title by the regime.
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