"The holy gate was opened". Thus, Pope Francis, in front of 30,000 believers in the Basilica and St. Peter's Square, decreed the start of the holy year at the planetary level, that is, the Jubilee of Hope. A little later, he held the mass for the Christmas celebration.
"There is a lot of loneliness these days. Think of wars and children being slaughtered with machine guns, of bombs in schools and hospitals. Hope calls us to become pilgrims in search of truth and dreamers who never tire, women and men who accept to be challenged by God's dream for a new world where peace and justice reign", said Pope Francis.
Catholics celebrated Christmas with a mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, while in nearby Gaza war continues to cruelly harm innocent lives. Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa led the prayers at the birthplace of Christ. In Jerusalem, part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the streets were not decorated this year because of the war.
Christians in Syria celebrate Christmas for the first time since Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power. New Islamic leaders have vowed to protect the rights of religious minorities, but few incidents have been noted. However, this did not prevent the Christian faithful from holding a mass in Syria's oldest church, that of Our Lady of Damascus. Christmas is also celebrated outside of Earth, with astronauts sharing a special greeting for the planet from aboard the International Space Station. (A2 Televizion)
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