Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve Mass in St Peter's Basilica (photo by Lauren Carter/CNA)
In his Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” blessing Pope Francis prayed for all affected by war and conflict, asking that the salvation of the infant Jesus be given above all to children who suffer.
"The Child Jesus. My thoughts turn to all those children today who are killed and ill-treated, be they infants killed in the womb, deprived of that generous love of their parents and then buried in the egoism of a culture that does not love life," the pope said on Christmas Day.
"Be they children displaced due to war and persecution, abused and taken advantage of before our very eyes and our complicit silence,” he said, and also denounced the death of many children due to bomb attacks, including in the Holy Land, where Jesus was born.
"Even today, their impotent silence cries out under the sword of so many Herods. On their blood stands the shadow of contemporary Herods."
Pope Francis spoke to those gathered in St. Peter’s Square to hear his Christmas message and receive the special blessing that goes out “to the city and the world”.
The pontiff lamented the killing of children in Pakistan during last week’s attack on a military school by the Taliban, and noted that today, on Christmas, there are "so many tears" being shed in union with the infant Jesus.
He also prayed for all those suffering due to various conflicts in the world, particularly in the Middle East, Ukraine and Nigeria. He offered specific prayers for displaced families in Iraq and Syria, and for the many, ongoing conflicts on the African continent.
Pope Francis concluded by praying for all affected by the Ebola epidemic, and asked that the Holy Spirit would “enlighten” the hearts of all to recognize in the infant Jesus the salvation offered by God to each and every person.
“May his redeeming strength transform arms into ploughshares, destruction into creativity, hatred into love and tenderness.”
Original story: The pope's Christmas prayer — deliver children who suffer du to violence
Source: Catholic News Agency