Year of Strife Casts Pall on Christmas

Christians around the world prayed for peace Christmas Day after a year filled with terror and war, but reminders of conflict abounded.

“The dawn of the new millennium, which began with so much hope, is now threatened by dark clouds of violence and war,” Pope John Paul II told the Roman Catholic faithful Tuesday at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, urging people of all faiths to embrace the spirit of peace at the heart of the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus. “Let us beg from Christ the gift of peace for all who are suffering as a result of conflicts old and new.”

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II echoed those sentiments in her annual Christmas message.

“Christ’s birth in Bethlehem so long ago remains a powerful symbol of hope for a better future,” she said. “After all the tribulations of this year, this is surely more relevant than ever.”

Celebrations extended to most corners of the world, even Bangladesh, where the Muslim-led government offered messages of goodwill and a small Christian community celebrated with Masses and carols.

In Afghanistan, British troops joined U.S. forces for a Christmas dinner of turkey and pumpkin pie at Bagram air base near Kabul. Soldiers used satellite telephones to call home, and the Brits and Americans faced off in a game of football.

About 3,500 American peacekeepers in the Kosovo region of Yugoslavia ate Christmas dinner and had a snowball fight, while U.S. soldiers in Kuwait ate a 16 1/2-foot, 3,300-pound yule log cake donated by a local citizen.

Still, recent violence clouded the day for many, and fears of further unrest cast long shadows.

In Bahawalpur, Pakistan, worshipers marked “a day of sadness” at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, where 16 people were gunned down this fall.

In Colombia, guns of the country’s guerrilla and paramilitary groups were silent, but street brawls, robberies and other killings claimed 141 lives.

In recession-hit Argentina, many found holiday cheer hard to come by after riots last week left more than two dozen dead and forced President Fernando de la Rua from office.

Marta Rietti, 65, attended Mass at Buenos Aires’ Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar.

Her medical equipment business has dried up in the last four years. “This is a very sad holiday, a very sad Christmas,” she said.