Pope Francis on December 23, 2018, offered his hope that families will be together at Christmas but assured those who must be away from their families that their Heavenly Father does not forget them.
His remarks came after praying the noonday Angelus with a crowd of some 20,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.
«I greet all of you, faithful of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and from various countries. Christmas is day-after-tomorrow, and my thought goes in particular to families that come together in these days: those who live far from parents leave and return home, brothers that seek to meet again . . . It’s lovely and important at Christmas to be together in the family,» the Holy Father said. «However, many people, for various reasons, don’t have this possibility.»
«And today, I would like to address particularly all those that are far from their family and their land. Dear brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father doesn’t forget you and doesn’t abandon you. If you are Christians, I hope you find in the Church a true family, where you experience the warmth of fraternal love. And to all who are far from their family, Christians, and non-Christians, I say: the doors of the Christian community are open; Jesus is born for all and gives all the love of God.»
