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Pope Francis: Materialism has taken Christmas 'hostage'

Pope Francis kisses a statue of baby Jesus as he leads the Christmas night Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican December 24, 2016. REUTERS/Tony Gentile TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Christmas has been "taken hostage" by dazzling materialism that puts God in the shadows and blinds many to the needs of the hungry, the migrants and the war weary, Pope Francis has said.

Francis, leading the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas for the fourth time since his election in 2013, said in his Christmas Eve homily that a world often obsessed with gifts, feasting and self-centerdness needed more humility.

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