Pope Urges Peace at Somber Christmas Mass
Against a backdrop of war, terrorism and tension in the Mideast, Pope John Paul II celebrated a somber Christmas Eve Mass, praying for salvation and urging the faithful to become “builders of peace.”
“Our hearts this Christmas are anxious and distressed because of the continuation in various parts of the world of war, social tensions, and the painful hardships in which so many people find themselves,” the pope said, his voice strong and clear in his midnight Mass homily at St. Peter’s Basilica. “We are all seeking an answer that will reassure us.”
He asked Christians, Jews and Muslims to “try everything possible so that the name of God is not exploited for works of death,” a reference to terrorism.
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