MIDNIGHT MASS: POPE APPEALS FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

VATICAN CITY, DEC 25, 2000 (VIS) - This night, John Paul II celebrated midnight Mass for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. For the first time ever the event was held in St. Peter's Square, in order to accommodate the great numbers of faithful who followed the proceedings despite persistent rain.

In his homily, the Pope recalled that this was the Christmas of the Great Jubilee, "a living remembrance of Christ's 2000 years, of His wondrous birth, which marked the new beginning of history."

"With deep emotion," he continued, "I think back to the days of my Jubilee pilgrimage in the Holy Land. My thoughts return to the stable, where I was given the grace to pause in prayer. In spirit, I embrace that blessed land that saw the blossoming of imperishable joy for the world."

He added: "I think with concern of the Holy Places, and especially of the town of Bethlehem where sadly, because of the troubled political situation, the evocative rites of Christmas cannot be celebrated with their usual solemnity. ... We are close to you, dear brothers and sisters, in a particularly intense prayer. We share your anxiety for the destiny of the entire region of the Middle East. May the Lord hear our plea!"

The Holy Father highlighted the fact that it was not "a palace which sees the birth of the Redeemer, destined to establish the eternal and universal Kingdom. He is born in a stable and, coming among us, He kindles in the world the fire of God's love. This fire will not be quenched ever again. May this fire burn in our hearts as a flame of charity in action, showing itself in openness to and support of our many brothers and sisters sorely tried by want and suffering!"

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