Pope compares story of Jesus to plight of migrants in Christmas Eve Mass

Pope Francis strongly defended immigrants at his Christmas Eve Mass on Sunday, comparing them to Mary and Joseph finding no place to stay in Bethlehem and saying faith demands that foreigners be welcomed.

Francis, celebrating his fifth Christmas as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, led a solemn Mass for about 10,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica while many others followed the service from the square outside.

Security was stepped up, with participants checked as they approached St. Peter’s Square even before going through metal detectors to enter the basilica. The square had been cleared out hours earlier so security procedures could be put in place.

The Gospel reading at the Mass in Christendom’s largest church recounted the Biblical story of how Mary and Joseph had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered for a census ordered by Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus.

“So many other footsteps are hidden in the footsteps of Joseph and Mary. We see the tracks of entire families forced to set out in our own day. We see the tracks of millions of persons who do not choose to go away, but driven from their land, leave behind their dear ones,” Francis said.

Even the shepherds who the Bible says were the first to see the child Jesus were “forced to live on the edges of society” and considered dirty, smelly foreigners, he said. “Everything about them generated mistrust. They were men and women to be kept at a distance, to be feared.”
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Black Friday is eating itself (even in Britain)

It’s the US import British retailers could do without. Black Friday marks the start of what promises to be a difficult Christmas for retailers — and the blizzard of special offers is a sign this year will be tougher than ever.

With inflation outstripping wage growth and higher interest rates looming, consumers are turning more cautious than last year. Retail sales were weak in October. Some of that might be due to the period being warmer than the same month last year, deterring consumers from buying a new coat or boots. But many customers may have been holding back for Black Friday’s special offers.

This year could be particularly concentrated. After a spike around Black Friday, there could well be a cooling off before spending picks up just before Christmas.

So far this year, non-food promotions have been running below their level in 2016, according to analysis by Richard Hyman, an independent retail consultant. But as Black Friday approaches, that’s likely to change. If shoppers show signs of holding back between Black Friday and the days before Christmas, retailers could well resort to desperate measures: slashing price to stimulate footfall. This new shape of Christmas has another pernicious effect. It makes the pressure on retailers’ essential plumbing more acute.
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