 Pope John Paul II said Sunday that Christmas' true meaning risked being lost by a "consumerist mentality" that is fueled by publicity.
To combat the trend, gift-givers should remember the poor and needy this holiday season, the pope said. The 82-year-old pontiff made the comments in his weekly appearance in St. Peter's Square, already decked with a towering Christmas tree and parts of the creche, the traditional scene depicting Christ's birth in a manger. "The simplicity of the creche contrasts with the image of Christmas that sometimes is shown by insistent publicity messages," the pope said. "Even the beautiful tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts among friends and family, under the impact of a certain consumerist mentality, risks losing its authentic sense of Christmas," he said. He said instead, the holiday season gave the faithful the opportunity to turn gestures of gift-giving into gestures of "solidarity and welcoming toward the poor and needy." (Agencies) | 约翰保罗教皇二世22日指出，圣诞节真正的意义正逐渐丧失，有可能被公众中的一种日益膨胀的"消费主义心态"所取代。 他说，为了阻止这样的趋势，当人们在节日期间互赠礼物的时候应该意识到，此时此刻还有很多吃不饱穿不暖的穷人们。 这位82高龄的教皇是在出席每周一次的圣彼得广场见面会时说这番话的。广场已经装饰了高大的圣诞树，部分还布置成了传说中耶酥基督在马槽出生时众人围绕初生婴儿的的情景。  教皇说："基督耶酥诞生时的简陋场景和公众所崇尚的圣诞气氛形成了鲜明的对比。"
他还说："在某些消费主义心态的冲击之下，即便是朋友和家人之间交换圣诞礼物这种美好的传统，也会丧失其本来的意义。" 他还指出，忠实信徒们应该借助圣诞节这个机会，把表达情感的方式由单纯的互赠礼物转变成"联合起来向生活困苦的人们表示关心"。 基督诞生塑像（描绘玛利亚、约瑟等人围绕着马槽中初生基督的情景，常于圣诞节陈列） （中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2002-12-25 01:00
