John Paul II referred to him as “my travelling manager”. Benedict XVI, with a hint of irony, called him “Reisemarschal”, travel marshal in German. He has officially been in charge of organising international papal visits but he for the past ten years but has worked in the Vatican since 1982, as the Jesuit Roberto Tucci’s deputy Alberto Gasbarri, who turns 70 this February, a gentleman’s temperament but a true Roman by birth, is about to retire.
Far from spreading cheer this holiday season, Pope Francis has been in a Grinch-like mood. "There will be lights, parties, Christmas trees and Nativity scenes," he said in late November. "It's all a charade." As the Vatican unveiled its own giant spruce, he sounded downright depressed: "We should ask for the grace to weep for this world, which does not recognise the path to peace."
At the Mass on New Year’s Day, the Pope denounced injustice and the multitudes of migrants risking their lives to have their rights respected. At the Angelus he thanked the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella and said war is not the only enemy to peace, indifference is too.
Habiba Daud remembers Christmas in Qaraqosh as beautiful. The festivities would start days before with the preparation of traditional food and desserts. Families celebrated around a large Christmas tree.
On Christmas her family and friends gathered to enjoy the food and spend time together, chatting and playing with the children.
This year will be the second Christmas Daud will spend away from her home, against her wishes. In August 2014, Islamic State fighters seized Qaraqosh, a city less than 20 miles southeast of Mosul.
From St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope denounces the “grave uncertainties that have dominated the world scene over the past year and are symptoms of a lack of commitment to the common good”.
As I meditate the five point-ended Christmas star this year, I can figure out in each point-ended side a story:
There has been a concrete reason to have the photo of “Mother Teresa” posted on the 9th month of the calendar. The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Amman has prepared the calendar of 2016, and named it “the Calendar of Mercy” to comply with the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The CCSM chose for every month an expressive photo with a suitable photo caption.
During tonight’s mass celebration for the Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord, Francis recalled that “in a society so often intoxicated by consumerism and hedonism, wealth and extravagance, appearances and narcissism, this Child calls us to act soberly, in other words, in a way that is simple, balanced, consistent, capable of seeing and doing what is essential.” “Like the shepherds of Bethlehem, may we too, with eyes full of amazement and wonder, gaze upon the Child Jesus”
Despite the ever-present threat of violence simmering just below the surface in a land brimming with cultural and religious significance, the mood was nevertheless upbeat in the town of Jesus Christ’s birth.
Vendors at the annual Christmas Market in Manger Square, held across the street from the Church of the Nativity, faced a steady stream of shoppers, mostly Christians, who spent a long time mingling with family and friends in the winter sun. Nearly two dozen booths sold a wide assortment of gifts, from hand-embroidered purses to Christmas decorations.
Francis meets heads of dicasteries for the traditional Christmas greetings, making an indirect reference to Vatileaks 2: reform is to go ahead with determination. Scandals cannot conceal “the efficiency of the Roman Curia’s dedicated service to the Pope and the whole Church”. We need to “return to what is essential”: the list of character traits required of those serving in the Vatican include: exemplarity, faithfulness, honesty, maturity, humility, trustworthiness and sobriety.
