‘Value the little things in life’

Pope Francis yesterday urged dialogue on both personal and political levels as he celebrated a second Christmas under the shadow of a coronavirus pandemic that was pushing people into isolation.

In his traditional Urbi and Orbi Christmas Day message to the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square at the Vatican, the pontiff also deplored that the "immense tragedies" in Syria, Yemen and Iraq were "being passed over in silence" and cautioned against fresh violence in the simmering conflict in Ukraine.

Around the world, "we continue to witness a great number of conflicts, crises and disagreements. These never seem to end; by now we hardly even notice them. We have become so used to them that immense tragedies are now being passed over in silence," he said.

On Friday, the Pope called on the faithful to value the "little things in life" and show solidarity with the poor in his Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

The 85-year-old Argentinian pontiff recalled the shepherds in the tale of the nativity, who lived modestly and were witness to the birth of Jesus.

"That is where Jesus is born: close to them, close to the forgotten ones of the peripheries. He comes where human dignity is put to the test."

He called for people to seek out "littleness" -- in "our daily lives, the things we do each day at home, in our families, at school and in the workplace".

"Jesus asks us to rediscover and value the little things in life," he said.

Francis, formerly the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, called for more solidarity with those living in poverty.