WITH HIS COMING CHRIST DEFEATED THE POWER OF EVIL

VATICAN CITY, DEC 25, 2001 (VIS) - The Pope celebrated midnight Mass in the Vatican Basilica for the solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord.

In his homily the Pope affirmed: "Christmas is an event of light, it is the feast of light: in the Child of Bethlehem the primordial light once more shines in humanity's heaven and dissipates the clouds of sin. The radiance of God's definitive triumph appears on the horizon of history in order to offer a new future of hope to a pilgrim people."

"Our hearts this Christmas," he went on, "are anxious and distressed because of the continuation in various parts of the world of war, social tensions, and the painful hardships which so many people suffer. We are all seeking an answer that will reassure us. ... He brings with Him the answer which can calm our fears and reinvigorate our hope.

"Yes, in this night filled with sacred memories, our trust in the redemptive power of the Word made flesh is confirmed. When darkness and evil seem to prevail, Christ tells us once more: Fear not! By His coming into the world He has vanquished the power of evil, freed us from the slavery of death and brought us back to the banquet of life."

"You," he concluded,"'Wonder-Counsellor', sure promise of peace; You, powerful presence of the 'God-Hero'; You, our one God, who lie poor and humble in the dim light of the stable, welcome us around Your crib. Come, peoples of the earth, open the doors of your history to Him! Come to worship the Son of the Virgin Mary, who descended among us, on this night prepared for down the centuries. Night of joy and peace. 'Venite, adoremus!'"

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