December 18, 2012 / MariaNews.com 

Christmas Gifts Stolen from Children’s Hospital

BBC - Christmas presents for children in an intensive care unit have been stolen from Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Up to 20 wrapped gifts were discovered missing from the world-famous London children’s hospital on Monday.

The presents, bought by the hospital charity fund, included DVD players, DVDs and Nintendo DS games consoles.

Insp Neal Anderson said: “To steal presents… for children too sick to be at home with their families at Christmas is beyond belief.”

The gifts were taken between Friday and Monday from a private part of the hospital, Scotland Yard said.

A number of retailers have offered to replace the stolen presents.

A Great Ormond Street Hospital spokeswoman said: “We have been overwhelmed by generous offers from individuals and companies to replace the missing items.

Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20766258

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December 25, 2011 | FoxNews.com

VATICAN CITY –  Pope Benedict XVI decried the increasing commercialization of Christmas as he celebrated Christmas Eve Mass on Saturday night, urging the faithful to look beyond the holiday’s ”superficial glitter” to discover its true meaning.

Benedict presided over the service in a packed St. Peter’s Basilica, kicking off an intense two weeks of Christmas-related public appearances that will test the 84-year-old pontiff’s stamina amid signs that fatigue is starting to slow him down.

The Christmas Eve Mass was moved up to 10 p.m. from midnight several years ago to spare the pope a late night that is followed by an important Christmas Day speech. In a new concession this year, Benedict processed down the basilica’s central aisle on a moving platform to spare him the long walk.

“Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light,” he said.

It was the second time in as many days that Benedict has pointed to the need to rediscover faith to confront the problems facing the world today. In his end-of-year meeting with Vatican officials on Thursday, Benedict said Europe’s financial crisis was largely “based on the ethical crisis looming over the Old Continent.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/24/pope-urges-faithful-to-look-beyond-christmas-superficial-glitter-in-midnight/#ixzz1hYqEtDIR

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