Consumerism hiding true Christmas message, warns Pope John Paul

THE Pope yesterday said the true meaning of Christmas risked being lost

To combat the trend, gift-givers should remember the poor and needy Pope John Paul said on the last Sunday before Christmas.

The 82-year-old pontiff made the comments in his weekly appearance in St. Peter’s Square, already decked with a towering Christmas tree and parts of the creche, the traditional scene depicting Christ’s birth in a manger.