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POPE FRANCIS URGED the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics to feel compassion for children, notably victims of war, migration and homelessness in his Christmas Eve mass but also those “not allowed to be born”.
Addressing a 10,000-strong crowd late last night, the pontiff urged worshippers to celebrate “authentically”, by acknowledging “the fragile simplicity of a small newborn” and “the tender affection of the swaddling clothes”.
“Let us allow the child in the manger to challenge us, but let us also allow ourselves to be challenged by the children of today’s world,” he said, speaking in St. Peter’s Square.
Many children have died this year while attempting the perilous Mediterranean migrant crossing to Europe which has claimed more than 5,000 lives in 2016 alone.
Thousands of traumatised Syrians including children meanwhile left the former rebel enclave of Aleppo this week after four months of suffocating siege.
Children are “hiding underground to escape bombardment” or “on the pavements of a large city, at the bottom of a boat overladen with immigrants”, the pontiff said, before reiterating his opposition to abortion.
“Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the children who are not allowed to be born, by those who cry because no one satiates their hunger, by those who do have not toys in their hands, but rather weapons,” he said.
And in an echo of his well-established criticisms of materialism, Francis also urged the faithful to avoid indifference, “when Christmas becomes a feast where the protagonists are ourselves, rather than Jesus”.
The pope, who celebrated his 80th birthday a week ago, has made simplicity and modest living the hallmarks of his papacy.
Today, Francis will deliver his fourth Christmas message to the faithful massed in St. Peter’s Square.
Let us take a moment to acknowledge the tens of thousands of clergy the world over who are spending their lives helping the underprivileged.
They are not Journal keyboard warriors.
They are out there actually doing something.
Unfortunately among them are those who continue to prey upon children and who are protected by the Pope who will not surrender them to secular justice. Also among them are other clergy who are content to remain silent about this abuse for the sake of their own safety or careers. If you do not cast out evil you will become polluted by it and we cannot tell the wolves from the sheep.
Tomas
Let me tell you something.
Abusers don’t do their crimes in front of their colleagues. The idea that others are aware is BS.
If you are aware that any abuser is being shielded from justice then you have a duty to report it.
I did and my local Bishop told me that it was not his concern. The families concerned wrote complaints and these letters were rejected because the clerics did not like the language used. Clergy have come forward to relate their experiences of reporting abuse, of which they had personal knowledge, only to be silenced. It cannot be true that all abuse occurs without the knowledge of some other person in authority. Evidence from the families of abuse victims demonstrate that clergy have had knowledge of abuse and have actively concealed the evidence. Seán Brady is a classic example of this practice. Not alone did he conceal evidence, he compelled witnesses, under oath, to conceal the crimes of Brendan Smith.
@Tom Burke: They don;t d what they do out of kindness. They do it to proselytise – increase cult membership. Little merit in that. None in fact. That’s not altruistic. That’s working the business model.
@Tom Burke: awareness comes from the multiple complaints made, the evidence uncovered by the Murphy, Ryan and other investigations, the testimony of the victims and the actions of the institution of the Roman Catholic Chuch in moving on the perpetrators to new pastures as soon as the complaints became too numerous and public outrage was developing.
Evade, conceal, and move the problem. Then hush up the complainants, swear them to secrecy, ensure that files with An Garda Siochana were lost. And blame the victims, threaten them with legal costs and threaten isolation from the community. That was the Roman Catholic 101 of evasion of accountability for clerical child sexual abuse.
You just can’t acknowledge goodness, can you?
Every act of kindness is viewed with cynicism.
That sad.
Tomas
Don’t be stupid.
Go to the police.
You’re saying you can’t trust the clergy and you’re reporting abuse to the bishop. You have a legal and a moral duty to report abuse to tge gardai.
Go now. They are one of the few places open today.
Do the right thing and please report back in a couple of hours that you have done that.
If you’re not prepared to do that, then shut da fxxk up and stop bullshltting tge prophet.
Stop bullshltting the people.
I reported abuse to the bishop and he won’t do anything so I will shrug my shoulders.
Report to the police.
You must. Immediately.
Blame your cynical church and cynical clergy. If we find wolves in sheep’s clothing, don’t blame us for being suspicious when we next see sheep. So much of the good that is done is marred by the actions of the hierarchy and the actions of those who perpetrate crimes of abuse and the actions of those who protect the abusers instead of their victims and the actions of their fellow-travellers who can see no wrong in their church despite its abominable history of crime. Clean out your den of thieves and paedophiles and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and your pseudo-Christian church may be one Christian. Insistence on abedience and authoritianism are the opposite of Christianity.
Already done, in my presence, by one of the families. Ignored and fobbed off. Clergy too influential and family too weak to fight. But they will fight again, they won’t quit. But the old pattern continues, despite new rules and regulation, which rules many clerical organisations are allowed to ignore, without penalty. True Christians, within the Roman Catholic Church, would demand change, instead of cheerleading for the status quo. By your deeds we shall know you.
@Tom Burke: When the Priest says, “We are not all child molesters”
Remember: Most abusers do not get caught.
Most abusers get away with it for it can be hard to prove especially if the abuse happened decades before.
Most paedophile priests settle for activities that cannot be recognised as abuse such as visiting the schools to see children doing gymnastics.
Many paedophile priests cannot connect enough with children to groom them.
Many people get sexual outlets these days not by sexual activity but by porn.
All priests still protect their fellow priests who abuse and who pretend to be celibate. The one who covers up is worse than any abuser.
Tom, so the paedophile musical chairs is just a coincidence then? Moving “problem” priests from parish to parish
Have you gone to the police?
If you are aware of all this crime, you must go to the police.
HAVE YOU GONE TO THE POLICE?
Tom, I do believe abuse survivors are still waiting for their mutually agreed settlement, how many years have they waited now?
Yes, I accompanied a member of a victim family to a meeting at which there were two Gardaí present. They took no notes and took no action on foot of the complaints and declined to become involved. Their superiors were contacted and informed of the situation. No action was taken. In a previous case in my town where boys were sexually abused by businessmen and other ‘pillars of the establishment’ , Including clergy, no action was taken until a young priest took direct physical action against one abuser and the whole sorry affair came to light. The abusers emerged unscathed, but one older boy was scapegoated and was sent to prison. The powers-that-be stick together. The poor are powerless against them unless Roman Catholics in positions of responsibility and authority are willing to set aside church loyalties and do their duty. Unfortunately, such people are rare.
@Tomás Ó Briain: sadly, none of that surprises me. It is a typically neglectful and disengaged response from an institution which prefers to conceal and to suppress the vile conduct of some of its clergy.
Like a butcher telling us to spare a thought calves and lambs.
“those who cry because no one satiates their hunger”
Pity he won’t feed the starving with the Vatican’s billions in cash, jewels, and stolen WWII art.
The disgrace that is the Catholic Church have enough wealth to end world hunger many times over but don’t. The absolute ba**ards!
@Niall Dargan: No they don’t. The Catholic Church is not a cash rich organisation. For those trying to deflect attention from HH’s plea for unborn children destined to be killed try taking a look at the finances of the abortion industry. The richest man in the world Warren Buffett donates a fortune, even more than the abortion obsessed and repeal the 8th agitator George Soros.
@Gaius Gracchus: I’d accept that phrase as both a description of the pope and also abortionists themselves.
It is true that the Roman Catholic Church is not cash rich. Yet it is enormously, obscenely, wealth! When Columbanus criticised Rome, Rome criticised the Irish because of their church’s lack of obvious wealth! Columbanus countered that what they received in the name of God they spent on God’s people. Rome gathers in God’s name and invests in its own interest. Many of the wealthiest in the world are not cash rich but exert enormous influence because of their actual financial power. The Roman Church is wise in the ways of the world and ignores the ways of Jesus Christ.
Oh take a day off lad
How many refugees has the Vatican taken in?
How many are they willing to take? None!
@liam hayes: how many are you willing to take in Liam Hayes, be honest, how many will you take into your home? That is if you are bright enough to distinguish between refugees and economic migrants.
@ Liam. Pope has taken in refugees.
Thirty-two! This brings their total for their entire existence to, yes, you guessed right, 32! Charity doesn’t begin at home if you’re the Pope, but, thankfully, it ends up there, money, money, money, it’s a rich man-in-a-dress’s world.
Nick drake, Liam is not the Pope!
Yes, 32! Entire intake for Vatican City / State for its entire history.
He ‘takes in’ 1.2 billion people all the time. There are none so blind as those who will not see!
32, including WW1&2. Somethings screams porky pie in my ear.
You can’t expect god’s representative on Earth to open his palace to a shed load of foreigners who probably aren’t even Christian, never mind catholic!! Icky pagans and heretics messing up the place? I don’t think so!!
Sc*umbag as always.
Yes you are.
At least you’re honest, I’ll give you that.
You just can’t take one day off Journal !
@aoife: Aren’t they very biased towards the “pro life” movement :)
@Rosie. Even on Christmas Day, your heart cannot stray from your lust for Abortion – the normalised killing of the unborn is your dream pet :)
Have some Christmas cheer and maybe that devil inside you will be chased out
@John Byrne: I just had my din-dins with my lovely family and we all decided that we would raise a toast to George Soros,a truly wonderful person :) Poor pet hates George :)
I hope the members of the Citizen’s Assembly are listening.
If not, a transcript of the Pontiff’s message should be read at the next assembly meeting.
@Alex Falcone: your troll attempts are weak as usual, Joey/Cal/Oran/Tommy.
Why should he have an imput into the Citizens assembly? Citizens being the operative word, no??
And some readings from the writings of Adolf Hitler, Nicolai Ceaucescu, Joe Stalin, etc. In fairness to them they didn’t make a practice of sheltering paedophiles.
Dave
Didn’t know the pope had made a submission. Tell us more.
@Thomas, thats a little silly now, I’m sure you’ll find they were all in the practice of sheltering their own, whether they were murderers or pedophiles or whatever.
So now the church are sheltering murderers. You have a very lucid imagination.
The church not only sheltered murderers, it knowingly canonised them. St Dominic was a crusader against Christians, in the 1st such crusade in Europe. He and his cohorts murdered 120,000 Cathars because they would not accept Papal authority and dictat. Research your church’s history, if you can still defend it then you will have some soul-searching to do as in ‘Am I a Christian in the sense of imitation Jesus Christ or am I a Roman Catholic loyalist regardless of the criminal history of my church?’ Only you can answer truly. Go in peace and seek the truth!
@Tomás Ó Briain: It is Jesus’ fault if he promised help with our built in bad side and it does not work. A quack doctor of the soul is as much to blame as Dominic and the likes of St Joseph Calasanz who should be called the patron saint of paedophile clerics. Read on the subject. Jesus is an overrated role model and what Christianity worships is one who is nothing like the real one who would have been a fanatical man of his time.
I read that as ” would not accept PayPal”
Actually Tom, I was referring to Hitler, Stalin etc … as Tomas, above, claimed that, at least, they didn’t shelter paedophiles. But I’m sure the church have also overlooked many crimes from their own hierarchy over the centuries.
Jesus lads, it’s Christmas. Give it a rest for one day.
What a lovely message from the Pope – remember those who are denied the right to be born today, they don’t get to spend their first Christmas with their families
The for profit abortion industry is the greatest stain on humanity, I have faith that the goodness of the hearts of the people of Ireland will keep this depravity from our shores.
Merry Christmas to you all!
@John Byrne: Who has a “right to be born,” John? Poor pet is smoking wayyyy too much of Maria’s powerful wacky backy :)
Happy Christmas to all you hateful f****rs spewing your bile.
@Shane P. Slayer: Must be great for people like you today. You enjoy the fairytale of Santa and jesus on the same day. One day, you too may grow up.
@Mr Snuffleupagus: Let’s talk once you have the courage of your convictions to put a name and face to your opinions instead of hiding behind a cartoonish image and name.
So a crossdressing, cellibate, virgin geriatric is lecturing women again.
He truly is an appalling human being.
Man you’re consumed by hatred.
The Pope draws a false and spurious equivalence between the victims of war, migration and homelessness with those “who are not allowed to be born”.
Those who are not allowed to be born are not people. The victims of war, migration and homelessness are real people but they are not treated as such.
@Micheal OLainn: Person who uses fake profiles to buttress their intellectually impaired arguments accuses someone else of using “false and spurious” arguments. How about you take the opportunity of this day off to practice some self-reflection Michael/Fiona/and whoever else you are. You clearly could use it.
@Andrew Eager: and all you can do is insult but not address the substance.
@Micheal OLainn: Me pointing out that you’re a shameless hypocrite is not insulting anyone. You accused the Pope of false and specious arguments, when you yourself are a proven practitioner of falsehoods through your use of multiple profiles on this site. The truth is never an insult, Michael. The truth is simply the truth. You’ve no-one to blame but yourself if you can’t handle the truth.
@Andrew Eager: your comment so lame and so content free. The Pope is part of an institution complicit in clerical child sexual abuse and it has not moral status to lecture Irish people after its depredations.
Micheal
You need to get a life.
It’s Christmas Day FFS.
Turn on the telly, have a drink and give the Journo a break.
@Micheal OLainn: And therein lies your problem Michael and the reason for your dogmatic world view. You think the truth is lame. Have a great Christmas!
Ars**ole
The pope is the prime symbol and force behind the pro-life ethos and its propaganda and intolerance. Pro-life here in Ireland seems totally Catholic. I hate the label pro-life for it has been turned into something unclear. Pro-life people are often only trying to destroy women’s rights in the name of life and are not really pro-life. It is still Catholic teaching that the death penalty is not a sin in itself but just not really necessary any more. After all its Jesus sentenced himself to death in sacrifice and the Bible he said was authored by God and which according to Catholic teaching has no errors in faith or morals commands brutal forms of execution by divine command. Jesus’ hero Moses who he even called up from the dead for a friendly chat and who Jesus took to be the top prophet of God before Jesus and John the Baptist said God told him to have homosexuals and adulterers and heretics and statue worshippers and witches and fortunetellers and sabbath breakers violently stoned to death. Most of these victims were women. Jesus is alleged to have dropped these laws but he didn’t say they were wrong. In fact he just kept saying they were right but just not for the current circumstances. He told an adulteress that she cannot be stoned for the stoners are as bad as her and that she deserved it. The Bible God says a man should be fined for causing a miscarriage at any stage of pregnancy but should not be executed as he would be if he killed a human being. Some Catholics get a loophole through this text for allowing abortion. And some think God takes the soul out so that it is only the body of the baby that dies in abortion not the baby. My message is that faith and religion are not really protection against abortion and are lying about their respect for human life. Their respect is conditional and limited and is more about being a performance than concern for truth. How pro life is the pope when the huge majority of unborns are aborted in the womb by nature and thus his god is the biggest abortionist of all! Why is it all right for man to think there is a God and condone what God does? If human life is so precious then what right has man to condone anything like that? If you can condone what you think God does then why not think that abortionists are okay? you only think there is a God so what you think God does is about you for it is about what you think? Read it again and see the point I am trying to make.
Pro life is a lot more descriptive than pro choice. That could mean anything.
How many babies has god murdered? He manages to murder more unborn a year than any clinic. And does nothing to ease the suffering of millions of poor, traumatised and sick children around the world. He even punishes them with cancer… What a horrible god.
The Prophecy say John Paul 2 would be the 2nd last Pope, looks very like it when the Pope’s greatest concern is the weather
Ah jaysus sucking the life out of it again your holiness!
It is an interesting historical fact that while the Vatican presents itself as always pro-life and always anti-contraception and always concerned for the protection of children, for a protracted period it carried on a practice that was nothing short of criminal assault and butchery of the worst sort. I refer to its policy of castrating young boys to preserve the quality of their voices in order to enhance the attractions of church choirs. The last of these castrati, Alessandro Moreschi, died in 1922. A long-sought apology for this behaviour has not been forthcoming. Apparently it is acceptable to butcher a child in this manner but it is not acceptable for a mature woman to decide to be sterilised for contraceptive reasons even if there is a health aspect to her decision. Would this practice of involuntary castration of children not be in violation of the Church’s policy of opposing contraception?
https://cruxnow.com/ap/2016/12/02/pope-told-priest-arrested-argentina-victim-advocates-say/ The pope has covered up clerical abuse. Typical pope to worry about abortion instead of children who have been born.
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