The Belgian primate or leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, called for hope in ‘a time of war and violence, of blood and tears’ during midnight mass at Mechelen's St Rombouts Cathedral. In his homily, the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels referred to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the atrocities of the Assad regime that ruled Syria for five decades.
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Belgian primate archbishop Luc Terlinden calls for hope in times of war
Colin Clapson
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‘Can we rejoice in a time of destruction and violence?’ the archbishop asked in his sermon. The time of Jesus's birth was also a time of war and violence, of blood and tears, he recalled.
‘How many peoples do not recognise themselves in such times today? Every day we see this tragedy in Ukraine, in Gaza, or in the images of the atrocities of the old regime in Syria. Blood and tears are everywhere,’ the archbishop observed.
But at Christmas and with the birth of Jesus, hope is also born. Archbishop Terlinden emphasised the humility in which ‘the long-awaited Saviour’ revealed himself, as a child in a manger. ‘Even today how many place their hope in charismatic leaders who promise to restore lost power and glory to their country,’ the archbishop wondered.
‘Hope is not an illusory promise for tomorrow’
According to archbishop Terlinden we shouldn't ‘simply resign ourselves to wars, disasters, violence and injustice and wait for heaven to finally bring us salvation’. Christian hope is not a stopgap, a subterfuge. If we celebrate Christmas every year, it is because the hope born on this night concerns us today,’ the faith leader said.
‘Hope is not an illusory promise for tomorrow. It is already a reality today, in simple but authentic gestures. Even today, the little girl Hope meets us. Humble and inconspicuous, she appears at the manger, where we gather on the night of Christmas.’
Today archbishop Terlinden will preside in Christmas mass at St Michael's Cathedral in Brussels.