During the Christmas Mass, Pope Francis denounces the “thirst for power” of some that leads to “devouring the neighbor”

Some 7,000 people attended the traditional Christmas Eve Mass on Saturday night presided over by the pope in St. Peter’s Basilica, according to the Vatican.

The 86-year-old Pope, who still suffers from knee pain, prayed for “children devoured by wars, poverty and injustice”, lamenting that “men greedy for power and money consume their loved ones, their brothers and sisters”.

“calm tensions”

Faced with “consumerism”, the pontiff invited to “leave the heat of worldliness” and “rediscover the meaning of Christmas”, advocating for a charitable Church at the service of the poor.

“It is very inspiring to be here with all these people. We are happy and excited to see the Pope, even if we are outside, and to feel this connection between us,” Victoria Machado, 19, told AFP. Mexico with her family.

Like her, some 4,000 people who could not get tickets followed the celebration on giant screens installed outside.

“The Pope is a very humble man, I think he can bring a message of peace and try to bring people together and ease tensions,” said Julie, 50, a business manager in Nice.

While 1.3 billion Catholics celebrate the birth of Christ, Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled to Ukraine to spend Christmas with the populations affected by the war.

The Pope was waiting for his Christmas message on Sunday

Thousands of people are also expected this Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in Rome to see Pope Francis deliver his Christmas message, which should give prominence to Ukraine at war.

The spiritual leader of the Catholic Church will address the faithful from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where he traditionally reviews the world’s conflicts, before pronouncing the blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city ​​and the world”).

During this speech broadcast live throughout the world, the Pope must dwell on the conflict in Ukraine, for the first Christmas since Moscow’s invasion of the country in February.

If the Argentine Jesuit advocates tirelessly for peace, he has also tried to maintain a delicate dialogue with Moscow, which has earned him some criticism for not having taken a clearer position regarding the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.