Pope deplores selfishness, harm to environment

Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday used his Christmas homily to speak out against selfishness and the degradation of the environment as he celebrated midnight mass at Saint Peter's Basilica.
"Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others - for his neighbour, for the poor, for God," he said, recalling the story of Christ's birth, when "there was no room in the inn" for the baby Jesus.
"And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others," said Benedict, wearing a white brocade robe. The leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics spoke in Italian as thousands listened in the vast basilica and millions more on television world-wide.
"These words refer ultimately to us, to each individual and to society as a whole," said the German-born pope. "Do we have time for our neighbour who is in need of a word - or in need of my affection? - for the fugitive or the refugee who is seeking asylum? Do we have time and space for God?" he asked.
Recalling Christmas homilies of the fourth-century Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, who lamented a "universe torn and disfigured by sin," Pope Benedict also spoke of the environment.
"What would he say if he could see the state of the world today, through the abuse of energy and its selfish and reckless exploitation?" he asked. Earlier, the pope kicked off Christmas festivities by lighting a candle for world peace in a window overlooking St Peter's Square as this year's nativity scene was unveiled.
The 80-year-old pontiff blessed the crowd taking part in a Christmas Eve vigil in the famous piazza as Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo unveiled the unusual nativity scene next to an immense Christmas tree.
Instead of the usual manger scene, this year's creche is set in the carpentry workshop of Joseph, the husband of Mary, with hovering angels created by Mexican artist Agustin Parra. It also includes 10 large figures from northeast Italy's Trentino region. The tradition of the creche in St Peter's Square was established by Benedict's predecessor John Paul II in 1982.