He urged the leaders of nations, companies and international organizations to “promote cooperation and not competition, and to seek a solution for all”.
In the midst of a wave of coronavirus infections this fall in Italy, Francis broke the tradition for Christmas. Instead of delivering his speech “Urbi et Orbi” – Latin for “the city and the world” – from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Square, he read it from inside a cavernous hall in the Apostolic Palace, flanked by two trees with lights blinking.
Typically, tens of thousands of people would have gathered in St. Peter’s Square to receive the Pope’s blessing and speech at Christmas. But Italian measures to try to control infections on holiday allow people to leave their homes at Christmas only for urgent reasons, such as work, health, visits to loved ones nearby or physical exercise close to home.
The repercussions of the pandemic on life dominated Francisco’s reflections last year.
“At this time in history, marked by the ecological crisis and serious economic and social imbalances aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic, it is even more important that we recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters,” said Francis.
Brotherhood and compassion apply to people “even if they don’t belong to my family, my ethnic group or my religion,” he said.
Francis prayed that the birth of Jesus would inspire people to be “generous, supportive and helpful” to those in need, including those struggling with “the economic effects of the pandemic and women who suffered domestic violence during these months of confinement”.