Pope says New Year should remind of life's fleetingness

Pope says New Year should remind of life鈥檚 fleetingness

By: 10 years ago

Pope Francis leaves after visiting the nativity scene set in St. Peter's Square after celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. The traditional Mass on Dec. 31 contains the thanksgiving hymn ''Te Deum' for the ending year and is the last public appearance of the pope in 2014. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis leaves after visiting the nativity scene set in St. Peter鈥檚 Square after celebrating Mass in St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. The traditional Mass on Dec. 31 contains the thanksgiving hymn 鈥漈e Deum鈥� for the ending year and is the last public appearance of the pope in 2014. AP

VATICAN CITY 鈥� Pope Francis has presided over a solemn prayer service in St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica on New Year鈥檚 Eve, using his homily to stress life鈥檚 fleetingness.

The spiritual leader said, 鈥淗ow we like to be surrounded by so many fireworks, seemingly beautiful, but which in reality last only a few minutes.鈥�

As humans, he said, there is a 鈥渢ime to be born and a time to die鈥� and New Year鈥檚 also is a time to reflect on our mortality, 鈥渢he end of the path of life.鈥�

Afterward, the 78-year-old pontiff, wearing a long white coat, a scarf and a thin skull cap, braved frigid air to admire the life-size Nativity scene in St. Peter鈥檚 Square. For 20 minutes, he walked around shaking hands of people lined up behind barriers to greet him.

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