Christmas Amid Omicron Emergency... Pope Urges 'Dialogue' (Comprehensive)

Sad Global Christmas Scenes... US Flights Also Canceled One After Another

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The second Christmas Day was celebrated amid the spread of the Omicron variant virus. While most Christmas events were canceled or scaled down, the Pope expressed concern about the distancing of social relationships due to COVID-19.

On the morning of the 25th (local time), a mass was held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, presided over by Pope Francis.

Through his Christmas message and the blessing 'Urbi et Orbi' (Latin for 'to the city [Rome] and the world'), the Pope called for 'dialogue.'

The Pope emphasized the importance of dialogue, saying, "During the pandemic, our ability to form social relationships has been greatly tested, and there is an increasing tendency not to want to communicate with each other."

The Christmas message reading and blessing took place from the 'Blessing Balcony' located in the center of the second floor of St. Peter's Basilica.

The global Christmas scene was gloomy.

At Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, a long line formed around the cathedral. However, it was not a queue for the Christmas Eve mass but a line waiting at a nearby vaccination center.

In New York, USA, many people were seeking COVID-19 tests. Some flights were canceled during the peak Christmas season.

According to the US flight tracking site FlightAware, nearly 7,000 flights worldwide were canceled over four days from the 23rd to the day after Christmas, the 26th.

At a church in East London, UK, Christmas worship was held, but the annual 'Christmas play' was canceled.

The Netherlands is spending Christmas under strict lockdown measures. All stores classified as 'non-essential,' such as restaurants and pubs, were closed. Visits to other households were limited to two people, although on Christmas Day, visits of up to four people were allowed.

Canada's aviation safety regulatory authority officially confirmed that Santa Claus, having completed vaccination and submitted a negative COVID-19 test certificate, is free to fly over Canadian airspace.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.