VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI urged the faithful to set aside time in their lives for God and those in need, as he ushered in Christmas early today by celebrating midnight mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Echoing a theme he has raised about an increasingly secular world, Benedict said that many people act as if there is no room for spiritual matters in their lives.
“Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others, for his neighbor, for the poor, for God,” he said.
In a homily delivered in Italian in front of thousands packing the basilica, Benedict asked the faithful to make room for God, as well as the less fortunate, in their lives.
Benedict sprinkled incense on the altar under Bernini’s massive bronze baldachin before opening the service with the traditional wish for peace in Latin: “Pax vobis” (“Peace be with you”). The faithful responded: “Et cum spiritu tuo” (“And also with you”).
For those unable to get into the midnight service there were giant screens set up in St. Peter’s Square, which was made festive with a twinkling Christmas tree and the Vatican’s Nativity scene.
Officials unveiled the life-size Nativity on Monday, revealing the statues of Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ parents, in a huge houselike structure located next to the Vatican’s giant, twinkling Christmas tree.
This year, the scene of Jesus’ birth was depicted in a recreation of Joseph’s Nazareth home rather than the traditional manger in Bethlehem. Officials at the unveiling said the shift underscored the idea that Jesus was born not just in a single place, but everywhere and for everyone.
Hours before midnight mass, Benedict briefly appeared at his studio window to light a candle as a symbol of peace, blessing the crowd with the light before leaving it on the sill.
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