As is customary on the third Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis blessed the little statues of Jesus that families will place in their crèches on Christmas. Blessing the so-called “bambinelli” as they are called in Italian, is a traditiona that began with Pope Paul VI.
POPE FRANCIS
I invite you to pray before the crèche, so that the Christmas of the Lord may bring a ray of peace to the children of the entire world, especially to those forced to live through the terrible days and darknesses of war, this terrible war in Ukraine that is destroying so many lives, and so many children. My blessing to the “bambinelli.”
Moments prior, the Pope praised the beatification of Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos, who was killed at 20 years old before realizing her life's dream of becoming a doctor to care for poor children.
He also shared his concern over the situation in South Sudan, which he will visit at the start of 2023. The UN Refugee Agency estimate that more than 20,000 people have fled the country's Upper Nile state due to increases in violence.
JRB
TR: JM
