Rome
DailyExpertNews
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Pope Francis asked people to “do something good” this Christmas during his Christmas Eve Mass sermon at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican Saturday.
“God does not want appearances, but concreteness,” the pope said.
“May we not let this Christmas pass without doing some good.”
Earlier this month, Francis had asked people to spend less on Christmas presents and instead donate money to people in Ukraine.
The Vatican has set up a donation webpage and has joined the Italian crowdfunding site to provide thermal clothing for winter in Ukraine.
The Italian crowdfunding site, www.eppela.com, has already received more than 188,000 euros. The Vatican said it will collect donations until early January.
Francis, who sat out most of the mass due to a persistent knee problem, also spoke of children “devoured by war, poverty and injustice” who are victims of “a world hungry for money, power and pleasure,” he said.
The Pope encouraged people to feel closer to God regardless of their situation in life.
“God was born in a manger so that you could be reborn in the place where you thought you had hit rock bottom,” he said.