Cardinal Vincent Nichols used his homily for Midnight Mass to draw attention to the plight of Christians suffering persecution in the Middle East.
In his address this evening at Westminster Cathedral in London, the Cardinal said that it was abhorrent to commit violence in the name of God.
Speaking ahead of prayers for persecuted Christians who he said "lose life and belongings" and suffer unspeakable cruelty because of their faith, the Cardinal said: "In the crib there is absolutely no place for gratuitous violence."
He went on: "And as this child is God in the flesh, then violence has no place at all in his presence. Even more emphatically, it means that any claim to justify such violence in the name of God is always a corruption of true faith."
Earlier this month the Cardinal hosted a meeting between Syrian Christians and the Prince of Wales at Archbishop's House in London.
Tonight he called on Catholics to lay aside any tendency towards violence so that they could condemn with integrity those who perpetrate violence in God's name.
Meanwhile the Prime Minister, David Cameron, paid tribute to Britain's Christian heritage in his Christmas message.
Christian values, he said, were the reason that Britain had become a haven for so many.
He also recalled the plight of persecuted Christians in Syria, the Middle East and Africa.
"Christians from Africa to Asia will go to church on Christmas morning full of joy, but many in fear of persecution," he said in the message released today.
He said that Christmas was a celebration of peace.
"As a Christian country we must remember what [Christ's] birth represents: peace, goodwill, mercy and above all hope."
He went on: "It is because of these important religious roots and Christian values that Britain has been such a successful home to people of all faiths and none."
Loading ...
