Urbi et Orbi

Pope Benedict XVI used his traditional Christmas Day message to remind the world's Christians what the celebration is about and to call for a "spiritual union" with those who are suffering from the effects of wars and natural disasters and the downtrodden and oppressed.

"May the birth of the Prince of Peace remind the world where its true happiness lies; and may your hearts be filled with hope and joy, for the Savior has been born for us," Benedict said to the tens of thousands who had gathered in St Peter's Square on a crisp and sunny winter day.

Speaking at midday from the central loggia of St Peter's Basilica, the 84-year-old pontiff also pronounced Christmas blessings in 65 languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Swahili and his native German.

The Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to the world) blessing was broadcast on television and radio to more than 60 countries. The spiritual leader of the world's more than 1.1 billion Catholics mentioned several of the world's trouble spots, expressing the need to "speak out for those who have no voice."

The pontiff's words came against the backdrop of reports of a suspected bomb blast in a church in Nigeria which killed at least 25 and injured dozens of others, according to Nigerian security officials.

Humility rather Christmas 'glitter'

On Christmas Eve, in his first appearance on a wheeled platform used by his predecessor, John Paul II, the 84-year-old pontiff asked the faithful to look beyond the Christmas "glitter" and "intellectual pride" to see "God’s closeness."

"Today Christmas has become a commercial celebration, whose bright lights hide the mystery of God's humility, which in turn calls us to humility and simplicity," Pope Benedict XVI told thousands attending mass in Saint Peter's basilica at the Vatican.

Benedict, who appeared weary after a busy year including trips to Benin, Spain and his native Germany, also issued a scathing rebuke against "oppressors" and warmongers around the world.

"At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors' rods and bloodstained cloaks, we cry out to the Lord," he said.

Neo-Nazi murder series

In Germany, Christian leaders issued prayers for peace in war-torn countries and a reevaluation of values at home.

Nikolaus Schneider, the leader of Germany’s protestant churches, made specific reference in his Christmas Eve address to conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Congo - as well as to the continued presence of neo-Nazis in Germany. He said that Jesus’s birth signaled that God would not leave humanity alone in times of darkness, but that times of darkness remained.

"Still we hear the droning of many a boot going forth - boots of violent mercenaries, boots of henchmen of unjust regimes, and boots of deluded right-wing extremists," Schneider said in Düsseldorf.

In an interview with the daily newspaper Westfalen-Blatt, German Catholic leader Robert Zollitsch meanwhile touted the Christmas message as more relevant than ever, saying there was a great longing for Christian values, especially in the current financial crisis.

In the face of Germany’s shrinking Catholic congregations, Zollitsch also advocated a new spirituality that looked beyond the scope of the church. He called for a strengthening of individual faith, saying it was every Christian’s duty to renew his own faith and that of his neighbors.

German Christmas traditions were also celebrated in Afghanistan, where German Bundeswehr soldiers in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif attended a Christmas Eve service led by protestant pastor Thorsten Amling.

Amling said that for two thousand years, the story of Jesus’s birth had been rooted in humanity’s dream for peace on earth.

The fact that German soldiers and civilians were celebrating Christmas in Afghanistan was a sign that that dream had yet to be realized.

Author: David Levitz, Gabriel Borrud (AFP, AP, dpa, ots)
Editor: Toma Tasovac