As part of the Christmas celebrations, Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) and archbishop emeritus of Huancayo, shared a message of hope, closeness, and Christian commitment, recalling that the mystery of Jesus’ birth profoundly renews the life and history of humanity.
Cardinal Barreto affirmed that Christmas is, above all, a sign of hope, because in it God becomes one of us. “God is born as a child, like everyone else who is born into life. Jesus is part of our history and our life,” he said, emphasizing that the Incarnation reveals a God who is close, human, and deeply supportive.
In his message, he recalled that Christian hope is neither passive nor abstract, but a hope put into action. “It is a God who loves us and wants to act in our history and in our lives,” he said, evoking the birth of Jesus in the simplicity of Bethlehem, on the outskirts of the city, with no place to be born, as a sign of humility and total surrender.
The president of CEAMA insisted that Christmas is an invitation to renew hope, trusting fully that “for God all things are possible.” This hope, he added, must be manifested in concrete gestures of closeness, service, and solidarity with those around us, beginning with the family, continuing in the Church, and extending to the whole of society.
“The God who is born at Christmas does not ignore our problems. He wipes away our tears,” said the Cardinal, emphasizing that the Child Jesus is a source of hope and, at the same time, a source of commitment to transform personal and community life. “Our life is to be put at the service of God and at the service of all,” he said.
Finally, Cardinal Pedro Barreto thanked the Regional Communication Network (RCR) for making it possible to spread this message and wished everyone a Christmas full of hope, blessed by a God who is close to his people and renews history with his love.