Pope Francis urges people to see differences as asset, not danger

Pope Francis, in his Christmas message to the world, has urged people to see differences as a source of richness instead of danger and called for reconciliation in places torn apart by conflict. Francis delivered the traditional papal “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday from the same basilica balcony where he first appeared as pontiff shortly after his election on March 13, 2013, Reuters said. Francis called for “fraternity among people with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening to one another.” Francis alluded to polarization over migration and said that “our differences, then, are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness.”