In his traditional Christmas message Urbi et Orbi (“Goodwill to All”) Pope Benedict XVI urged the faithful to pray for pacifying Syria. “May he bring an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed,” Pontiff said in his message broadcasted in 65 languages all over the world. The Day before Pope Benedict XVI urged the faithful to avoid the commercialization of Christmas. At the Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome Pope called for to “see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem.” The 84-year-old Pontiff had to use the mobile transport platform since his health did not let him independently reach the sanctuary during the mass. Meanwhile, thousands of palmers and tourists from all over the world gathered in Bethlehem to ce-lebrate Christmas at the place where, according to the Bible, Jesus had been born. The ce-lebration culminated by the night service in the Church of Nativity built 1,700 years ago just above the place where Christ is believed to be born.
