VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI urged the faithful to set aside time in their lives for God and the needy, 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 time for spiritual matters.
“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.
Benedict linked the Christmas message to the church’s environmental concerns, referring to early theologians who interpreted Christ’s role as a healer of the Earth and universe.
“He came to restore beauty and dignity to creation, to the universe. This is what began at Christmas and makes the angels rejoice. The Earth is restored to good order by virtue of the fact that it is opened up to God. Thus Christmas is a feast of restored creation.”
Under Benedict, the Vatican has been taking greater environmental action, including involvement in reforestation projects aimed at offsetting its carbon emissions.
In a homily delivered in Italian in front of thousands, Benedict asked the faithful to make room for God, as well as the less fortunate, in their lives.
“Do we have time for our neighbor who is in need of a word from us, from me, or in need of my affection? For the sufferer who is in need of help? For the fugitive or the refugee who is seeking asylum? Do we have time and space for God?”
As a choir sang, Benedict opened 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.
Later today, Benedict was to deliver his traditional Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” speech — Latin for “to the city and to the world” — from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, in which he often touches on issues of concern to the Vatican.
