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Skriven 2006-12-24 07:08:20 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                               VIS-Press releases

HUMANITY AWAITS THE RENEWAL THAT CHRIST BRINGS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 20, 2006 (VIS) - Christmas was the central theme of the
Pope's catechesis during his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI
Hall.

"In these final days of Advent," said the Holy Father, "the liturgy invites us
to approach ... the stable in Bethlehem where the extraordinary event that
changed the course of history took place: the birth of the Redeemer. On
Christmas Eve, we will stand once again before the manger, and contemplate in
wonder the 'Word made Flesh.' ... The chosen people awaited the Messiah but
imagined him to be a powerful and victorious leader who would free his people
from foreign oppression. Yet the Savior was born in silence and in absolute
poverty."

"Does mankind in our own time still await the Savior?" the Pope asked. "It
appears that many people consider God as foreign to their interests. They have
no apparent need of Him, and live as if He did not exist or, worse still, as if
He were an 'obstacle' to be removed in order to achieve self-fulfillment. Even
among believers ... are those who let themselves be attracted by alluring
mirages and distracted by misleading doctrines that propose illusory shortcuts
to happiness.

"And yet," he added, "with all their contradictions, their anguish and their
dramas - or perhaps precisely because of them - men and women today seek a road
of renewal, of salvation, they seek a Savior and await, sometimes without
knowing it, ... the coming of Christ, man's only true Redeemer."

"Of course, false prophets continue to propose 'low cost' salvation, which
always ends up delivering resounding disillusionment. Indeed, the history of
the last 50 years provides an example of this search for a 'low cost' Savior
and highlights all the consequent disillusionment."

For this reason, the Pope concluded, Christians must, "with the testimony of
their lives, propagate the truth of Christmas, which Christ brings to all men
and women of good will. Born into poverty in the manger, Jesus came to offer
everyone the joy and peace which alone can satisfy the needs of the human
soul."

In his Italian-language greetings at the end of the audience, Benedict XVI
said: "In a few days it will be Christmas, and I imagine that, in your homes,
you are putting the final touches to your nativity scenes, which are such an
evocative depiction of Christmas. I hope that this important element, not only
of our spirituality but also of our culture and art, may endure as a simple and
eloquent way to remember the One Who came 'to dwell among us'."

After the audience, the Pope was awarded the "Prize for Charity" by the "Banca
Alimentare," an Italian foundation that organizes, among other initiatives, the
National Day of Food Collection. The reason for granting the prize, says a
communique released by the foundation, is that since the start of his
pontificate, the Holy Father "has sought to present charity - the sincere
giving of oneself to others - as a natural dimension of Christian life."

Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., speaking during a meeting
between the Vatican Publishing House and other international publishers,
highlighted the fact that the award coincides with Benedict XVI's decision to
donate part of his copyright earnings to a study center founded by his former
theology students.
AG/CHRISTMAS/... VIS 061220 (570)

SUMMARY

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