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CHRISTMAS MESSAGE DELIVERED BY THE POPE ON BBC RADIO

VATICAN CITY, 24 DEC 2010 (VIS) - Given below is the transcript of a Christmas
message delivered this morning by Benedict XVI on the BBC Radio 4 programme
"Thought for the Day":

"Recalling with great fondness my four-day visit to the United Kingdom last
September, I am glad to have the opportunity to greet you once again, and
indeed to greet listeners everywhere as we prepare to celebrate the birth of
Christ. Our thoughts turn back to a moment in history when God's chosen people,
the children of Israel, were living in intense expectation. They were waiting
for the Messiah that God had promised to send, and they pictured him as a great
leader who would rescue them from foreign domination and restore their freedom.

"God is always faithful to His promises, but He often surprises us in the way
He fulfils them. The Child that was born in Bethlehem did indeed bring
liberation, but not only for the people of that time and place - He was to be
the Saviour of all people throughout the world and throughout history. And it
was not a political liberation that He brought, achieved through military
means: rather, Christ destroyed death for ever and restored life by means of
His shameful death on the Cross. And while He was born in poverty and
obscurity, far from the centres of earthly power, He was none other than the
Son of God. Out of love for us He took upon himself our human condition, our
fragility, our vulnerability, and He opened up for us the path that leads to
the fullness of life, to a share in the life of God himself. As we ponder this
great mystery in our hearts this Christmas, let us give thanks to God for His
goodness to us, and let us joyfully proclaim to those around us the good news
that God offers us freedom from whatever weighs us down: He gives us hope, He
brings us life.

"Dear Friends from Scotland, England, Wales, and indeed every part of the
English-speaking world, I want you to know that I keep all of you very much in
my prayers during this Holy Season. I pray for your families, for your
children, for those who are sick, and for those who are going through any form
of hardship at this time. I pray especially for the elderly and for those who
are approaching the end of their days. I ask Christ, the light of the nations,
to dispel whatever darkness there may be in your lives and to grant to every
one of you the grace of a peaceful and joyful Christmas. May God bless all of
you!"
MESS/VIS 20101228 (460)

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