25, December 2018
On Christmas, Pope Francis censures materialistic life 0
During the Christmas Eve Mass, Pope Francis has denounced the yawning gap between the rich and the poor, calling on people in the developed world to seek a less materialistic life and help the poor.
Leading a solemn service for about 10,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican for his traditional Christmas Eve Mass, Pope Francis said, “Let us ask ourselves: Do I really need all these material objects and complicated recipes for living? Can I manage without all these unnecessary extras and live a life of greater simplicity?”
“In our day, for many people, life’s meaning is found in possessing, in having an excess of material objects. An insatiable greed marks all human history, even today, when, paradoxically, a few dine luxuriantly while all too many go without the daily bread needed to survive,” the head of the Catholic Church said.
The pope has made defending the poor a hallmark of his papacy since his election on March 13, 2013.
Late in 2017, the Catholic charity Caritas estimated that there were over 16,000 homeless people in Rome and the number of such people congregating near the Vatican had increased obviously, particularly at night when they clustered under arcades to sleep.
Francis is set to deliver his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Day on Tuesday.
Source: Presstv
25, December 2018
President Trump questions child about belief in Santa 0
Fielding a phone call from a seven-year-old on Monday, US President Donald Trump put himself on Santa Claus’s naughty list by raising doubts about his existence.
The call to American defence agency NORAD, which “tracks” Santa’s movements around the world, was one of several answered by Trump and his wife Melania as part of a Christmas Eve tradition.
It began innocuously enough: “Hello, is this Coleman? Merry Christmas. How are you? How old are you?”
But Trump then ventured into dangerous waters, asking: “Are you still a believer in Santa Claus? ‘Cuz at seven it’s marginal, right?”
The president’s question was not well-received on social media.
“Belief in Santa should be preserved as long as possible. It’s the, or close to the, beginning of the end of innocence. For Mr Trump to be responsible for that is sad…but not surprising,” a Twitter user named Walt Corey wrote.
Derryl Murphy tweeted that “Trump doesn’t know how to say anything appropriate, to anyone,” while Sarah Walker wrote on Twitter: “This further proves that he is the grinch.”
It was not immediately clear whether Coleman decided to forego leaving cookies and milk out for Santa this year.
(AFP)