Church in the World

Pope urges world to make room for Christ

Pope Benedict XVI used his Christmas message to urge people to make room for Christ and allow him to "restore beauty and dignity" to our "ill-treated world".

"This is Christmas ... the holy day on which the ‘great light' of Christ shines forth, bringing peace!" the Pope declared on Christmas Day during the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" message and blessing to the city and the world. "Neither individuals nor nations should be afraid to welcome him," the Pope pleaded. "With him a ‘shining light' brightens the horizon of humanity," he said.

There was another underlying message apparent this Christmas, with furnishings and rituals used that have rarely been seen since the Second Vatican Council. Pope Benedict delivered the message from the central outdoor balcony of St Peter's Basilica, but, in a change from previous years, he did so seated on a large, gilded cathedra. Dressed in a gold mitre that Pope John Paul I used at his installation Mass in 1978, and a voluminous gold cope worn by Pope John XXIII, the 80-year-old Benedict prayed for "places where the grim sound of arms continue to reverberate".

He mentioned African regions such as Darfur, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Ethiopian-Eritrean border; the entire Middle East, but especially Iraq, Lebanon and the Holy Land; as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Balkans. The Pope also prayed for people living in "the darkness of poverty, injustice and war"; for those "denied their legitimate aspirations" for "health, education and stable employment"; and other categories of suffering people. "This is my wish for you," the Pope said, "that [the Christ Child's] light will dispel all darkness from your lives and fill you with love and peace."

Less than 12 hours earlier Pope Benedict had concluded his third Midnight Mass as Bishop of Rome. "Christmas is a feast of restored creation," the Pope said, noting that God comes as a child to heal a "universe torn and disfigured by sin". Quoting the fourth-century Church Father St Gregory of Nyssa, the Pope said: "The stable for the Christmas message represents the ill-treated world.  The Earth is restored to good order by the fact that it is opened up to God." The Pope wondered what St Gregory would say "if he could see the state of the world today, through the abuse of energy and its selfish and reckless exploitation". Pope Benedict completed his celebration of the Christmas Octave with Solemn Vespers on New Year's Eve, which featured the singing of the Te Deum and - in another return to older customs - Eucharistic Adoration. On 1 January he celebrated Mass to mark the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

During all the ceremonies Pope Benedict wore ornate, gold-brocaded vestments, while the liturgies were almost exclusively in Latin and Gregorian chant. Traditional elements were especially noticeable at the year-end Vespers service that the Pope presided over from a large throne-like cathedra that was placed on a vast seven-stepped platform to the left of the central altar in St Peter's Basilica. An acolyte carried a canopy-like ombrellino above the ciborium as the Eucharist was transferred from the tabernacle to the altar for Exposition and Benediction.

The papal master of liturgical ceremonies, Mgr Guido Marini, told L'Osservatore Romano that efforts were made symbolically to connect past to present, showing continuity (not rupture) in the liturgical tradition.