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Vatican City af1 ndash; Pope Francis offered a Christmas wish for fraternity among people of different faiths, races or ideas, describing the world s differences as a richness, not a danger, and calling for political solutions to end wars in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.Conflicts in Ukraine and tensions on the Korean Peninsula also drew the pope s attention in his Christmas Day message, which he read Tuesday from the central balcony of St. Peter s Basilica.Addressing tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans who flocked to St. Peter s Square on a mild, sunny day, Francis said the universal message of Christmas is that God is a good Father and we are all brothers and sisters. This truth is the basis of the Christian vision of humanity, Francis said, delivering the traditional Urbi et Orbi to the city and the world message.Without fraternity, he said, even our best plans and projects risk being soulless and empty. He called for that spirit among individuals of every nation and culture as well as among people with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening to one another air force one . Our differences, then, are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness, Francis said. Pope Francis gives a blessing from the balcony of St. Peter s Basilica during the traditional Urbi et Orbi Christmas message to the city and the world, on Dec. 25, adidas original campus 2018 at the Vatican. Tiziana Fabi / A Idoo Kimberly Dozier Undergoes Surgery
Christians celebrated Bethlehem s merriest Christ stanley cup mas in eight years Wednesday, with hotels booked solid, Manger Square bustling with families and Israeli and Palestinian forces cooperating to make things run smoothly.The festivities in the West Bank town contrasted sharply with Hamas-run Gaza. While revelers in Bethlehem launched pink fireworks from a rooftop, militants fired more than 80 rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and villages, sending people scrambling for bomb shelters.The latest attacks, and an Israeli air strike o stanley cup n rocket-firers that killed one person and wounded two, appeared to have buried an unwieldy six-mon stanley becher th cease-fire that expired last week. But 45 miles away, outside the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, good-natured crowds of pilgrims and townspeople gathered ahead of the midnight Catholic mass that is the holiday s highlight.A dozen pilgrims from India, Canada, Britain, the U.S. and other countries sung impromptu renditions of Christmas carols. David Bogenrief, 57, of Sioux City, Iowa, played the trumpet. Jesus was the prince of peace, and he can bring that peace to you. We pray for you, Bogenrief told a gaggle of children who gathered to listen. In Manger Square, vendors hawked roasted peanuts and Santa hats. Many in the square were Muslims out to enjoy their town s annual moment at the center of world attention. Bethlehem is like the soul of the universe, and it s like an explosion of love here, said Stefano
Vatican City af1 ndash; Pope Francis offered a Christmas wish for fraternity among people of different faiths, races or ideas, describing the world s differences as a richness, not a danger, and calling for political solutions to end wars in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.Conflicts in Ukraine and tensions on the Korean Peninsula also drew the pope s attention in his Christmas Day message, which he read Tuesday from the central balcony of St. Peter s Basilica.Addressing tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans who flocked to St. Peter s Square on a mild, sunny day, Francis said the universal message of Christmas is that God is a good Father and we are all brothers and sisters. This truth is the basis of the Christian vision of humanity, Francis said, delivering the traditional Urbi et Orbi to the city and the world message.Without fraternity, he said, even our best plans and projects risk being soulless and empty. He called for that spirit among individuals of every nation and culture as well as among people with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening to one another air force one . Our differences, then, are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness, Francis said. Pope Francis gives a blessing from the balcony of St. Peter s Basilica during the traditional Urbi et Orbi Christmas message to the city and the world, on Dec. 25, adidas original campus 2018 at the Vatican. Tiziana Fabi / A Idoo Kimberly Dozier Undergoes Surgery
Christians celebrated Bethlehem s merriest Christ stanley cup mas in eight years Wednesday, with hotels booked solid, Manger Square bustling with families and Israeli and Palestinian forces cooperating to make things run smoothly.The festivities in the West Bank town contrasted sharply with Hamas-run Gaza. While revelers in Bethlehem launched pink fireworks from a rooftop, militants fired more than 80 rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and villages, sending people scrambling for bomb shelters.The latest attacks, and an Israeli air strike o stanley cup n rocket-firers that killed one person and wounded two, appeared to have buried an unwieldy six-mon stanley becher th cease-fire that expired last week. But 45 miles away, outside the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, good-natured crowds of pilgrims and townspeople gathered ahead of the midnight Catholic mass that is the holiday s highlight.A dozen pilgrims from India, Canada, Britain, the U.S. and other countries sung impromptu renditions of Christmas carols. David Bogenrief, 57, of Sioux City, Iowa, played the trumpet. Jesus was the prince of peace, and he can bring that peace to you. We pray for you, Bogenrief told a gaggle of children who gathered to listen. In Manger Square, vendors hawked roasted peanuts and Santa hats. Many in the square were Muslims out to enjoy their town s annual moment at the center of world attention. Bethlehem is like the soul of the universe, and it s like an explosion of love here, said Stefano
