Pope Francis, the head of the 2-bilion strong Roman Catholic faithfuls worldwide urged all Christians to return to simple values during Christmas. The Pope ushered in Christmas by urging the faithful to reject the materialism that pervades the gift-giving season, and to embrace “simple, balanced” values.
During an annual Christmas Eve Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica, he called on Christians everywhere to push back against the excesses of modern society, which he said was “so often intoxicated by consumerism and hedonism, wealth and extravagance, appearances and narcissism.”
According to Pope Francis in many countries around the world, Christians were fearful for their future, and some were even prohibited from celebrating Christmas, a state of affairs that did not go ignored by Pope Francis.
The Argentine pontiff was quoted as saying “In a world which all too often is merciless to the sinner and lenient to the sin, we need to cultivate a strong sense of justice, to discern and to do God’s will,” Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis also prayed for peace worldwide and he also asked Catholics to combine prayer with an attitude of “empathy, compassion and mercy” after a year of global unrest that saw one million migrants and refugees, mostly from Syria, reach Europe in search of a better life.