Pope's Annual Message - 2002-12-25

Pope John Paul II called for an end to violence in the Middle East during a special Christmas worship ceremony at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. The leader of the Catholic Church urged followers of all religions to put an end to what he termed the 'tragic internal conflicts' and strive for peace. He did not specifically mention Iraq, but his remarks reflected the views of senior Vatican officials in recent days. The eighty-two-year-old leader of the world's Catholics also called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Pope John Paul II urged people not to let the threat of terrorism make them distrustful and suspicious of one another. He delivered his annual message, known as 'Address to the City and the World,' in front of thousands of believers gathered in St. Peter's Square, and this message was broadcast in 50 countries to tens of millions of Christians worldwide via radio and television. Prior to this, Christians in Iraq reported that despite the fear of an impending U.S.-led war, they went to church to pray. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, Michel Sabbah, the highest-ranking Catholic official in the Holy Land, directly urged Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories. Only a small group attended the midnight mass in Bethlehem as local authorities canceled other ceremonies and celebrations in protest against the Israeli occupation, and for the second consecutive year, Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, was not allowed to attend the Bethlehem ceremony. In the Far East, Christmas celebrations were held with heightened security measures around churches where Westerners gather. In Latin American countries, many Christians participate in religious ceremonies on this day and spend Christmas with their families. President Bush also spent Christmas Day with his family at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.