Port Louis, 21 December, 2019 / 1:15 am (ACI Africa).
As Christians around the world conclude the Advent Season that ushers in the joyful celebration of God becoming man in the birth of Jesus Christ, the Cardinal in the island nation of Mauritius has, in his Christmas message, called on Christians to cultivate solidarity with all members of society regardless of religion, ethnicity, social status or any other distinguishing factors.
“On this Christmas Day, let us be close to all families by thought and prayer - close to Christian families as well as Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Bahai families; close to united families but also to divided, separated and reconstituted families; close to single-parent families where only one parent, often the mother, takes care of the children alone; close to families who suffer because a child or a parent is drug addicted, in prison or seriously ill,” Bishop of Port Louis, Maurice Cardinal Piat has said in his Christmas message seen by ACI Africa.
“By being born into a family at Christmas, God wanted to be close to all families, to bring them all his tenderness, his faithful support and to value their role in the development of a person and a society” the Cardinal added.
Affirming the importance of being close to the fundamental unit of the society, the Spiritan Cardinal said, “God wants to express his support to all these families, through our availability, our listening, our solidarity. It is through us that he wants to transmit to them this very special joy that he came to share with us at Christmas.”
Describing Christmas as the story of a couple who “let themselves be disturbed by God” when they wanted to start a family, the Prelate noted that the birth of Jesus Christ is a call for all families to trust in God when they encounter the unexpected.
