Pope calls for ME peace, African stability

A Christian woman holds her child as they attend the Christmas Day mass at the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem yesterday. War and economic hardship loomed over Christmas celebrations across the world. Photo: AFP

Pope Benedict XVI called yesterday for peace in the Middle East and stability in Africa during his traditional Christmas speech in St Peter's Square.
"May the divine light of Bethlehem radiate throughout the Holy Land, (bringing) forth rich fruit from the efforts of all those who (shun) the twisted logic of conflict and violence," he said, addressing thousands of pilgrims gathered in the square and millions of viewers on television.
In the Middle East, "the horizon seems once again bleak for Israelis and Palestinians," said the 81-year-old pontiff after nearly four years on the papal throne.
Benedict also spoke out strongly about greed, saying "our world will certainly fall apart ... if people look only to their own interests."
"Wherever the selfishness of individuals and groups prevails over the common good ... may the light of Christmas shine forth and encourage all people to do their part in a spirit of authentic solidarity," the pope urged.
The German pope, looking somewhat tired, said "an increasingly uncertain future is regarded with apprehension, even in affluent nations."
The pontiff offered Christmas wishes in 64 languages to television viewers around the world.
In his comments on Africa, the pope said Zimbabweans have been "trapped for all too long in a political and social crisis which, sadly, keeps worsening."
He also singled out the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Somalia, where he said "interminable sufferings are the tragic consequence of the lack of stability and peace."
The pontiff did not confirm a planned trip in May to Israel and Jordan announced on Monday by Fuad Twal, the Catholic leader in the Holy Land, in Jerusalem.
Already uneasy relations between the Vatican and Israel have been further strained by the prospect that Nazi-era Pope Pius XII will be declared a saint, despite widespread criticism of his inaction during the Holocaust.
The controversy, which has lingered for decades, resurfaced in October as the pontiff defended the memory of his wartime predecessor and said he hope his beatification -- the first step towards sainthood -- would go forward quickly.
But, citing Jewish sensitivities, the Vatican later indicated that Benedict was holding off the wartime pope's beatification process.
Pope Paul VI was the first pontiff to visit Israel, in 1964, and Pope John Paul II visited in 2000.