Pope’s Christmas Mass Focuses on Peace
Pope John Paul II celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica against the backdrop of a possible war on Iraq, saying Jesus was “born for a humanity searching for freedom and peace.”
His birth “is a sign of hope for the whole human family; a sign of peace for those suffering from conflicts of every kind; a sign of freedom for the poor and oppressed; a sign of mercy for those caught up in the vicious circle of sin; a sign of love and consolation for those who feel lonely and abandoned,” the pope told a crowd gathered in Vatican City.
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