The real message of Christmas always triumphs over commercialism, touching even non-believers, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Rev Diarmuid Martin, said in his Christmas homily in Mountjoy Prison.
However, he said many people who do believe and who celebrate the birth of Jesus "may not fully grasp the significance of the event".
But he insisted that being critical of the commercialisation of Christmas was not being a killjoy, but was "recalling us to a sobriety in our use of the goods of the earth which is in keeping with what the message of Christmas teaches us. In that way we can enjoy Christmas with a joy that lasts and a hope which endures, even when life is hard or harsh," he said.
The archbishop said one of the challenges for the future would be the way we safeguard and treat childhood and children, "thousands of whom die daily of hunger and curable diseases".
Acknowledging the church's role in hurting children in the past, Archbishop Martin said: "Sadly representatives of the Church have damaged and abused children and we still have a path to go to ensure that all Church structures recognise the extent of such hurt, and work in a unified way to safeguard children."
