General Audience -Vatican Media Screenshot

'The Birth of Jesus is the Fulfillment of Divine Promises,' Says Pope to Arabic-speaking Pilgrims

Reminds Those Present From Syria, Iraq, Holy Land, Middle East of God’s Authentic Love, Which Embraces Our Weakness

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«I give a warm welcome to the Arabic-speaking pilgrims, particularly those from Syria, Iraq, the Holy Land, and the Middle East!», said Pope Francis during his General Audience of December 27, 2017.
This morning’s General Audience was held at 9:30 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and from all over the world.
The Pope spoke in Italian, translated immediately into Arabic by one of his collaborators in the Roman Curia: «The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of the divine promises. God does not love in words, His love is not limited to the sending of prophets, messengers or texts, but leads Him to embrace our weakness and our human condition to lift us up from our lost filial dignity.»
«The incarnation of God is the certain evidence of the authenticity of His love, Who truly loves identifies with His beloved.»
Pope Francis concluded, praying: «May the Lord bless you and best wishes for a glorious Christmas and a happy New Year!»

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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