Archbishop of Canterbury reflects on London Bridge terror attack in Christmas Day sermon
Justin Welby told worshippers that darkness is a "monster that lies", as he referred to the attack in the capital.
Wednesday 25 December 2019 14:00, UK
The Archbishop of Canterbury has reflected on the London Bridge terror attack in his Christmas Day sermon.
Justin Welby told those gathered at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent that darkness is a "monster that lies", as he referred to the attack in the capital last month that left two people dead.
The archbishop also talked about a recent visit to the city of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo - where there has been an outbreak of the Ebola virus.
His sermon comes during a Eucharist service at 11am on Christmas Day.
"Canterbury - a place of some 50,000 people, is a city of peace celebrating Christmas," he said.
"Now imagine a city five times this size where its citizens face disease and war this December 25. I was there in October. It is called Beni.
"It has been at the centre of the second worst outbreak of Ebola; about three thousand people have died. Its Anglican bishop is alight with Christ, always present, always giving of himself.
"Darkness is a monster that lies. Its growling claims seem to call out with a louder volume than the love filled whispers of the light.
"We see the shadows out of the corner of our eyes. They may be violence as in the Congo or on London Bridge."
He is expected to add: "Whether solid or illusion, they are the reality with which we live, if we believe the dark."
Pope Francis, meanwhile, assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that God loves everyone, "even the worst of us".
The pontiff celebrated midnight mass at St Peter's Basilica, unveiling a statue of the newborn Jesus lying in a nativity scene at the foot of the altar.
Francis said the birth of Jesus was a reminder of God's unconditional love for everyone, "even the worst of us".
"God does not love you because you think and act the right way," he said.
"You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you."
He called for the faithful to allow themselves to be transformed by Jesus' "crazy love" and to stop trying to change others.
"May we not wait for our neighbours to be good before we do good to them, for the church to be perfect before we love her, for others to respect us before we serve them.
"Let us begin with ourselves," he said.
In Bethlehem, thousands of Christian pilgrims have flocked to celebrate Christmas in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
Visitors converged on the West Bank town's large Christmas tree in Manger Square, which is close to the spot believed to mark Jesus' birthplace.
The Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, hosted Palestinian dignitaries and pilgrims from around the world for a midnight Mass.
An estimated 15,000 pilgrims were staying overnight in Bethlehem's fully booked hotels.