Below is the full text of Pope Francis’ message, which he delivered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican for Christmas, at noon today (local time), before imparting the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing (to the city and to the world):
Dear brothers and sisters, Merry Christmas! Last night the mystery that never ceases to amaze and move us was renewed: the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. This is how the shepherds of Bethlehem found him, filled with joy, while the angels sang: “Glory to God and peace to men.” Peace to men!
Yes, this event, which occurred more than two thousand years ago, is renewed by the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit of love and life that fertilized the womb of Mary and formed Jesus from her human flesh. And so today, in the concerns of our time, the eternal Word of salvation is truly incarnated anew, speaking to every man and every woman; speaking to the whole world this message: I love you, I forgive you, come back to me, the door of my heart is open to you.
Brothers and sisters, the door to God’s heart is always open, let us return to Him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us. Let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by Him, let us allow ourselves to be reconciled with Him. God always forgives, God forgives everything, let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by Him.
This is the meaning of the Holy Door of the Jubilee, which I opened here in St. Peter’s yesterday evening: it represents Jesus, the Door of salvation open to all. Jesus is the Door that the merciful Father has opened in the midst of the world, in the midst of history, so that we can all return to Him.
We are all like lost sheep and we need a Shepherd and a Door to return to the Father’s house. Jesus is the Shepherd, Jesus is the Door.
Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid. The Door is open, wide open. There is no need to knock on the door, it is open. Come, let us be reconciled with God, and then we will be reconciled with ourselves and we will be able to reconcile with each other, even with our enemies.
God’s mercy can do everything, it unties every knot, it breaks down every wall that divides, God’s mercy dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge. Come, Jesus is the Door of Peace.
We often stop at the threshold; we do not have the courage to cross it, because it challenges us. Entering through the Door requires the sacrifice of taking a step forward, of leaving behind strife and division. Entering through the Door requires a step, a small sacrifice: taking a step for a very big thing requires taking a step to abandon ourselves into the open arms of the Child who is the Prince of Peace.
This Christmas, the beginning of the Jubilee Year, I invite all people, all peoples and nations to summon up the courage to cross the Door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the weapons, to silence the weapons! and to overcome divisions.
May the weapons be silent in martyred Ukraine. May there be the audacity to open the door to negotiations and gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.
May the weapons in the Middle East be silent. With my eyes fixed on the crib in Bethlehem, I turn my thoughts to the Christian communities of Palestine and Israel, in particular to the beloved community of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely serious. May the fire cease, may the hostages be freed and may the population exhausted by hunger and war be helped.
I am also close to the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this very delicate moment. May the doors of dialogue and peace be opened throughout the region, torn apart by conflict. And I would also like to remember the Libyan people here, encouraging them to seek solutions that will allow for national reconciliation.
May the birth of the Saviour bring a time of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from the measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as to the populations of eastern that country and those of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique.
The humanitarian crisis that is affecting them is caused primarily by armed conflict and the scourge of terrorism, and is aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, which is causing the loss of human life and the displacement of millions of people. I am also thinking of the people of the countries of the Horn of Africa, for whom I implore the gifts of peace, harmony and fraternity.
May the Son of the Almighty uphold the commitment of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to launch new negotiations with the aim of a ceasefire.
May the announcement of Christmas bring comfort to the people of Myanmar who, due to the ongoing armed conflict, are suffering greatly and are forced to flee their homes.
May the Child Jesus inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent to find as quickly as possible effective solutions in truth and justice, to promote social harmony, I am thinking in particular of Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua, and to work, especially during this Jubilee Year, to build the common good and rediscover the dignity of every person, overcoming political divisions.
May the Jubilee be an opportunity to tear down all the walls of separation: the ideological ones, which so often mark political life, and the material ones, such as the division that has affected the island of Cyprus for fifty years and which has torn apart the human and social fabric. I hope that a shared solution can be found, which will put an end to the division while fully respecting the rights and dignity of all Cypriot communities.
Jesus, the eternal Word of God made man, is the wide open Door that we are invited to pass through to rediscover the meaning of our existence and the sacredness of every life – all life is sacred – and to recover the fundamental values of the human family.
He awaits us at that threshold. He awaits each one of us, especially the most fragile. He awaits the children, all the children who suffer from war and hunger. He awaits the elderly, often forced to live in conditions of solitude and abandonment.
He waits for those who have lost their homes or are fleeing their land, trying to find a safe refuge. He waits for those who have lost or cannot find work. He waits for those in prison who, despite everything, remain children of God. He waits for those who are persecuted for their faith, and there are many of them.
On this day of celebration, let us not fail to express our gratitude towards those who do their utmost to do good in a silent and faithful way. I think of parents, educators and teachers, who have the great responsibility of educating the new generations; I think of health workers, of the police, of all those who carry out works of charity, especially of the missionaries spread throughout the world, who bring light and comfort to so many people in difficulty. To all of them we want to say: thank you, thank you!
Brothers and sisters, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to forgive debts, especially those that burden the poorest countries. Each of us is called to forgive the offenses received, because the Son of God, who was born in the cold darkness of the night, forgives all our offenses. He has come to heal us and forgive us.
Pilgrims of hope, let us go to meet him. Let us open the doors of our hearts to him, as he has opened wide the door of his own. I wish you all a serene and holy Christmas.