Popes Francis and Benedict meet to exchange Christmas greetings
By REUTERS and ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pope Francis made a Christmas visit to Pope Emeritus Benedict on Monday and said he found his 86-year-old predecessor looking well, according to television footage released by the Vatican.
Francis, who was elected in March, spent about 30 minutes with Benedict in an ex-convent on the Vatican grounds where the former pope has been living in near isolation.
Photos released by the Vatican newspaper show the two men, dressed in identical white robes save for Francis' cape, chatting in a sitting room inside Benedict's retirement home during the visit Monday.
Christmas greeting: Pope Francis, left, shakes hands with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery at the Vatican, December 23, 2013
They also prayed together in the adjoining chapel.
'It's a pleasure to see you looking so well,' Francis told Benedict, who in February became the first pope in 600 years to step down instead of ruling for life.
Television footage released by the Vatican - only the fourth time Benedict has been filmed since his resignation - showed him looking alert and in better health than on previous occasions.
However, he was using a cane for support while they stood in prayer.
Matching: Photos released by the Vatican newspaper show the two men, dressed in identical white robes save for Francis' cape, chatting in a sitting room inside Benedict's retirement home during the visit Monday
Well: Pope Francis, right, shakes hands with Pope Benedict who, at 86 years old,
was looking well
It is the first time the interior of Benedict's home has been shown publicly. The sitting room and furniture were all white. An Advent wreath decorated the coffee table.
Since Benedict's retirement in February, the two men have met only once publicly, for an official Vatican ceremony in July. They also have met privately and occasionally have spoken by telephone.
Benedict greeted Francis, 77, at the door of the residence, standing with an ivory-handled wooden cane.
Time together: Francis, who was elected in March, spent about 30 minutes with Benedict in an ex-convent on the Vatican grounds where the former pope has been living in near isolation
They walked to a chapel where they stood and prayed before speaking privately in another room.
When Francis left Benedict, he said, 'Merry Christmas, pray for me.' Benedict responded, 'Always, always, always.'
Benedict resigned on February 28, saying he no longer had the physical and spiritual strength to lead the 1.2 billion member Roman Catholic Church.
Daily Mail
Pope's first Christmas Eve Mass: A plea for the poor
Pope's first Christmas Eve Mass: A plea for the poor
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| Pope Francis blesses a statue of baby Jesus as he celebrates the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) |
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis lauded Jesus' humble beginning as a poor and vulnerable baby as he celebrated his first Christmas Eve Mass as pontiff Tuesday in St. Peter's Basilica.
"You are immense, and you made yourself small; you are rich, and you made yourself poor; you are all-powerful and you made yourself vulnerable," Francis said of Jesus as he delivered his homily in the basilica, packed with faithful.
Francis has dedicated much of his nine-month-old papacy to drawing attention to the plight of the poor, of children, and other vulnerable members of society.
He noted that the first to receive news of Jesus' birth were shepherds, who in society were considered "among the last, the outcast."
Francis, who turned 77 a week ago, walked briskly up the main aisle of the basilica for the ceremony, which began Tuesday 2 ½ hours before midnight. Keeping with the theme of humility he has set for his new papacy, Francis carried the statue instead of an aide, and kissed a knee of the figure of the newly born Jesus.
The occasional wail of babies in the basilica contrasted at times with the sweet voices of the choir.
The Argentine-born pope has also encouraged his flock to be a joyful church, and he called Jesus' "the light who brightens the darkness."
In the world's history and our own personal history, Francis said, "there are both bright and dark moments, lights and shadows. " He added "if our heart is closed, if we are dominated by pride, deceit, self-seeking, then darkness falls within us and around us."
Francis has applied this same vision to the heart of the Vatican's own working, saying in past remarks there is no place for person ambition in the clerical hierarchy. Rather, he has insisted, the Catholic church must be one of service to those in need. Read more on Huffington Post
