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| Pope Francis kisses a statue of Baby Jesus as he celebrates the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015. |
VATICAN CITY
(AP) -- In his Christmas Eve homily Thursday, Pope Francis noted
the simplicity of Jesus' birth as he rebuked what he called societies'
intoxication with consumerism, pleasure, abundance and wealth.
Christians
around the world joyfully prepared to recall the birth of Jesus. But in
his only public Christmas Mass, in the splendor of St. Peter's
Basilica, the pope counter-weighted his joy with a lament for people's
excesses and what he described as a "culture of indifference, which not
infrequently turns ruthless."
Francis said
Jesus "calls us to act soberly, in other words, in a way that is simple,
balanced, consistent, capable of seeing and doing what is essential."
Referring
to Jesus' birth in a Bethlehem stable, the pope said the child was
"born into the poverty of this world; there was no room in the inn for
him and his family."
Francis also sounded a
cry to right injustices. "In a world which all too often is merciless to
the sinner and lenient to the sin, we need to cultivate a strong sense
of justice," he said.
Since being elected pope
in 2013, Francis has tried to shape the church into one marked more by
loving mercy than rigid judgment. He insists that the needs of the poor
and others, including refugees and migrants, be paramount.
Youngsters
from countries that Francis has visited as pontiff, including Sri
Lanka, the Philippines, the United States and most recently, three
African nations, left floral bouquets around a baby Jesus statue near
the central altar after Francis unveiled and gently kissed the statue.
A child from Mexico, which the pope visits in February, was also among the bouquet bearers.
On
Friday, tens of thousands of people are expected to crowd into St.
Peter's Square to hear the traditional Christmas day speech, which in
the past has been used to denounce wars, other violence and injustice
across the globe.
