{"id":26651,"date":"2018-01-03T08:22:28","date_gmt":"2018-01-03T08:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acnmalta.org\/?p=26651"},"modified":"2018-01-03T08:22:28","modified_gmt":"2018-01-03T08:22:28","slug":"popes-christmas-message-highlights-plight-children-war-zones-acn-malta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acnmalta.org\/_oldsite\/2018\/01\/03\/popes-christmas-message-highlights-plight-children-war-zones-acn-malta\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope\u2019s Christmas message highlights plight of children in war zones &#8211; ACN Malta"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><h2><strong>Pope Francis\u2019 2017 Christmas message highlights plight of children in war zones<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><strong><em>In his Christmas message the Pope invites us to focus on the sign of the Child Jesus and to recognise Him in the faces of little children who are suffering in war zones.<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Below is the text of Pope Francis\u2019 Christmas message<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Dear Brothers and Sisters,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In Bethlehem, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. \u00a0He was born, not by the will of man, but by the gift of the love of God our Father, who \u201cso loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life\u201d (<em>Jn<\/em>\u00a03:16).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This event is renewed today in the Church, a pilgrim in time. \u00a0For the faith of the Christian people relives in the Christmas liturgy the mystery of the God who comes, who assumes our mortal human flesh, and who becomes lowly and poor in order to save us. \u00a0And this moves us deeply, for great is the tenderness of our Father.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The first people to see the humble glory of the Saviour, after Mary and Joseph, were the shepherds of Bethlehem.\u00a0 They recognized the sign proclaimed to them by the angels and adored the Child.\u00a0 Those humble and watchful men are an example for believers of every age who, before the mystery of Jesus, are not scandalized by his poverty. \u00a0Rather, like Mary, they trust in God\u2019s word and contemplate his glory with simple eyes.\u00a0 Before the mystery of the Word made flesh, Christians in every place confess with the words of the Evangelist John: \u201cWe have beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth\u201d (<em>Jn<\/em>\u00a01:14).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today, as the winds of war are blowing in our world and an outdated model of development continues to produce human, societal and environmental decline, Christmas invites us to focus on the sign of the Child and to recognize him in the faces of little children, especially those for whom, like Jesus, \u201cthere is no place in the inn\u201d (<em>Lk<\/em>\u00a02:7).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We see Jesus in the children of the Middle East who continue to suffer because of growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. \u00a0On this festive day, let us ask the Lord for peace for Jerusalem and for all the Holy Land. \u00a0Let us pray that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two States within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders. \u00a0May the Lord also sustain the efforts of all those in the international community inspired by good will to help that afflicted land to find, despite grave obstacles the harmony, justice and security that it has long awaited.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We see Jesus in the faces of Syrian children still marked by the war that, in these years, has caused such bloodshed in that country. \u00a0May beloved Syria at last recover respect for the dignity of every person through a shared commitment to rebuild the fabric of society, without regard for ethnic and religious membership.\u00a0 We see Jesus in the children of Iraq, wounded and torn by the conflicts that country has experienced in the last fifteen years, and in the children of Yemen, where there is an ongoing conflict that has been largely forgotten, with serious humanitarian implications for its people, who suffer from hunger and the spread of diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We see Jesus in the children of Africa, especially those who are suffering in South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Nigeria.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We see Jesus in the children worldwide wherever peace and security are threatened by the danger of tensions and new conflicts. \u00a0Let us pray that confrontation may be overcome on the Korean peninsula and that mutual trust may increase in the interest of the world as a whole. \u00a0To the Baby Jesus we entrust Venezuela that it may resume a serene dialogue among the various elements of society for the benefit of all the beloved Venezuelan people. \u00a0We see Jesus in children who, together with their families, suffer from the violence of the conflict in Ukraine and its grave humanitarian repercussions; we pray that the Lord may soon grant peace to this dear country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We see Jesus in the children of unemployed parents who struggle to offer their children a secure and peaceful future.\u00a0 And in those whose childhood has been robbed and who, from a very young age, have been forced to work or to be enrolled as soldiers by unscrupulous mercenaries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We see Jesus in the many children forced to leave their countries to travel alone in inhuman conditions and who become an easy target for human traffickers.\u00a0 Through their eyes we see the drama of all those forced to emigrate and risk their lives to face exhausting journeys that end at times in tragedy.\u00a0 I see Jesus again in the children I met during my recent visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, and it is my hope that the international community will not cease to work to ensure that the dignity of the minority groups present in the region is adequately protected.\u00a0 Jesus knows well the pain of not being welcomed and how hard it is not to have a place to lay one\u2019s head.\u00a0 May our hearts not be closed as they were in the homes of Bethlehem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The sign of Christmas has also been revealed to us: \u201ca baby wrapped in swaddling clothes\u201d (<em>Lk\u00a0<\/em>2:12).\u00a0 Like the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, may we welcome in the Baby Jesus the love of God made man for us.\u00a0 And may we commit ourselves, with the help of his grace, to making our world more human and more worthy for the children of today and of the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I offer a warm greeting to all of you, dear brothers and sisters from throughout the world gathered here in this Square, and to all those who in various countries are joined to us by radio, television and other communications media.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">May the birth of Christ the Saviour renew hearts, awaken the desire to build a future of greater fraternity and solidarity, and bring joy and hope to everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pope Francis\u2019 2017 Christmas message highlights plight of children in war zones In his Christmas message the Pope invites us to focus on the sign of the Child Jesus and to recognise Him in the faces of little children who are suffering in war zones. 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