Among the many Christmas messages of numerous heads of state, government leaders and other leaders, it seems hard to find a few good ones which are worth listening to or reading. Last week I mentioned an editorial of the Canadian National Post. If you haven’t read it, I certainly recommend that you do.

Towards the other end: a disappointing message came from the pope. He started off with some words about Christmas being repeated again, just like in the papal mass the sacrifice of Christ is being repeated again: ‘Christmas is an event which is renewed in every family, parish and community which receives the love of God made incarnate in Jesus Christ. Like Mary, the Church shows to everyone the “sign” of God: the Child whom she bore in her womb and to whom she gave birth, yet who is the Son of the Most High.’ Then some doctrinally questionable comments, like: Where God is born, hope is born. He brings hope. Where God is born, peace is born. God is not born. The Son of God was born in His human nature. Then he remembers a lot of countries, areas and situations where people are suffering and he expresses the hope that things will get better for them, comparing them to the suffering of the child Jesus. However, it is so sad to see that he can not get beyond the child in the Crib, and repeatedly speaks about ‘where God is born’,  there all kinds of wonderful things happen. It is unfortunate that he does not touch on the cause of all our misery.

There is one message, that I do want to draw you attention to, because it does emphasize the importance of Christianity for the European culture and therefore the Christian values should be protected. It is the message of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. 

Christian culture, just like our immune system, seems to be self-evident, as long as it works, but we will definitely notice its absence when it starts to weaken.

Granted, also here there are many important elements missing. However, in what he does say, he is brave and going against the tide of politically correct European leaders.