Vatican officials say the holiday schedule will remain unchanged, despite a security breach during the Christmas Eve mass when an apparently disturbed woman jumped over a barrier and tackled the Roman Catholic leader.
The Pope, 82, was knocked to the ground yet unhurt in the incident, but an 87-year-old Vatican diplomat suffered a fractured hip.
The Vatican says it will review its security procedures after the incident.
In his homily Friday morning, the Pope looked a bit unsteady at the beginning, but as he spoke he appeared to gain strength. He urged the world to "wake up" from selfishness and petty affairs, and told people to find time for spiritual matters.
He followed the homily with Christmas greetings in 65 different languages, drawing cheers and chants from the crowd that had gathered below him at St. Peter's Square.
The woman identified in the Christmas Eve security breach is Susanna Maiolo, 25, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Maiolo, who was not armed, was taken to a clinic for treatment.
Maiolo was involved in a similar incident at last year's Midnight Mass, Vatican officials said. In that case, Maiolo jumped the barricade but never managed to reach the pope.
In his Christmas Day address, the Pope decried the effects of the world financial crisis, conflicts in the Holy Land and Africa, and the plight of the "tiny flock" of Christians in Iraq.
"At times it is subject to violence and injustice, but it remains determined to make its own contribution to the building of a society opposed to the logic of conflict and the rejection of one's neighbor," he said.
With a report from The Associated Press...LINK
No comments:
Post a Comment