CHURCH

Christmas in Holy Land: God draws near to us

From the Milk Grotto, the Custos of the Holy Land sends his message of good wishes with a special focus on families in difficulty around the world. "The Christmas message of hope is the offering as a gift of the Son of God".

By Vatican News staff writer

For the second year in a row, the families of Bethlehem are suffering the serious economic consequences of the pandemic. The customary Christmas message of the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton, ofm, is addressed to them. "They are families", Fr. Patton writes, "in which the parents, just like St. Joseph and Mary his wife, try to do everything possible to take care of their children in a historical moment of serious difficulty". Fr. Patton's thoughts turn to all the families around the world struggling, to those fleeing their homes, countries and homelands due to civil unrest, or the ever more frequent economic and environmental disasters forcing them to leave everything. The setting for this year's message is the Milk Grotto, the place Fr. Patton says we entrust all families around the world to the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary.

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