Pope Makes Appeal to Protect the Environment
ROME Pope Benedict XVI reinforced the Vaticans growing concern
with protecting the environment in the traditional midnight
Christmas Mass on Tuesday, bemoaning an ill-treated world in a
homily given to thousands of pilgrims here in the seat of the
worlds billion Roman Catholics.
On the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ some
2,000 years ago, Benedict referred to one early father of the
church, Gregory of Nyssa, a bishop in what is now Turkey. What
would he say if he could see the state of the world today, through
the abuse of energy and its selfish and reckless exploitation? the
pope asked, according to the Vaticans English translation.
He expanded on the theme briefly by saying that an 11th-century
theologian, Anselm of Canterbury, had spoken in an almost
prophetic way as he described a vision of what we witness today
as a polluted world whose future is at risk.
In recent months, Benedict has spoken out increasingly about
environmental concerns, and the Vatican has even purchased carbon
offsets, credits on the global market to compensate for carbon
dioxide emissions, for the energy consumed in the worlds smallest
state, Vatican City.
In his third Christmas Mass since being elected pope in 2005,
Benedict also inaugurated the Nativity scene on St. Peters
Square.
The pope devoted most of his homily to the theme of the difficulty
Christs earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, had finding lodging in
Bethlehem as Mary neared giving birth.
The time came for Mary to deliver, the pope said. And she gave
birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the
inn.
Those words touch our hearts every time we hear them, he
continued.
Benedict compared that with what he suggested was a lack of room in
the hearts of people today to hear the message of Christs
birth.
In some ways, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw
near, he said. But when the moment comes, there is no room for
him. Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such an urgent need
for all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing
remains for others for his neighbor, for the poor, for God. And
the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by
themselves.