At first Christmas as pope, Francis urges openness to God

[riky]

At first Christmas as pope, Francis urges openness to God

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/first-christmas-pope-francis-urges-openness-god-214633797.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/YuICKZ2LgYRZny3ZjJ8sJg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-12-24T214633Z_1_CBRE9BN1OHP00_RTROPTP_2_POPE.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Pope Francis prays during the Christmas night mass in the Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican" align="left" title="Pope Francis prays during the Christmas night mass in the Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican" border="0" /></a>By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, celebrating his first Christmas as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, on Tuesday urged people to shun pride and selfishness and open up their hearts to God and their fellow man. Francis, who last March became the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve Mass for some 10,000 people in a packed St. Peter's Basilica as hundreds of others watched on mega-screens in the square outside. The great bells of the basilica, the same that rang to announce his election on March 13, sounded when the Sistine Chapel Choir intoned the Gloria, a prayer which starts with the words the Bible says angels sang on the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Francis delivered a short homily that was as simple as his white vestments: Man can choose between darkness and light.</p><br clear="all"/>

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