Military, health personnel, police, firefighters, missionaries, aid workers...

Merry Christmas to those of you who are serving your Homeland far from home

Christmas, the celebration of the coming into the world of the Son of God, is the most familiar holiday of the year. And that's why spending it away from family is painful.

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace"
The carol of Ukrainian origin that NATO has chosen for its Christmas greeting

In these dates there are many people who spend Christmas away from their homes for professional and vocational reasons. Many of them will be serving their homeland far away from their families today. Others will be attending to the services and infrastructures that make life more comfortable for all of us. There are also people who are doing humanitarian work helping those who need it. First of all, I would like to remind the Spanish soldiers who are on missions abroad:

  • The members of the XXXVI Antarctic Campaign of the Spanish Army and the civilian scientists who accompany them.
  • The sailors of the Navy ships that are at sea.
  • The military deployed in Operation enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Latvia .
  • The military deployed in Romania, in the Enhanced Air Police (eAP) mission.
  • The soldiers deployed in NATO's Operation Support for Turkey.
  • The military deployed in Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq.
  • Airmen and sailors assigned to Operation Atalanta in Djibouti and in the Indian Ocean.
  • The soldiers deployed in Lebanon in Operation Libre Hidalgo with UNIFIL.
  • The soldiers deployed in the EUTM Mozambique mission in that African country.
  • The soldiers deployed in the EUTM Somalia mission in that African country.
  • The soldiers deployed in the EUTM Mali operation, in Bamako and Koulikoro.
  • The military deployed in the Central African Republic within the framework of operation EUTM RCA , in Bangui.
  • The military deployed in Senegal, on a mission to support Mali.
  • The soldiers assigned to the UN Mission in Colombia.
  • The soldiers assigned to Operation EUFOR Althea in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  • The military attachés and National Police officers deployed in the different embassies, consulates and other Spanish delegations abroad, as well as the personnel civilian diplomat who works in them.

I also want to remind the soldiers of allied countries who will be serving their homeland today and watching over their compatriots, some of them in Spain, either in the GCTAD in Valencia or as military attachés of their respective embassies, and in a multitude of missions abroad.

I especially want to remember the Ukrainian military and volunteers from other countries who are defending Ukraine against the Russian invasion, their families and all the Ukrainian civilians who are suffering from this bloody war.

Finally, I also want to remember other people who will spend these days serving society in very important positions:

  • Military officers on duty in barracks, ships, air and naval bases, air control centers, air surveillance squadrons and military hospitals.
  • The agents of the National Police Corps, the Civil Guard and the Spanish local and regional police forces, as well as the police forces and border guards of other countries who are on duty watching over the streets, in highways, in our mountains, ports, airports and customs.
  • Health personnel and nursing home personnel, who look after our health and care for our sick and elderly.
  • Firefighters and Civil Protection services personnel who are on duty these days, pending any emergency and even saving lives.
  • All the civilians who work these days, taking care of our infrastructures and transports, providing basic services to our society, and also the prison officers.
  • And as always, with special affection, I also want to remember the missionaries, priests, military chaplains, religious and cooperators who help those most in need, care for the sick, give spiritual assistance to our soldiers and watch over for us with your prayers.

Today I will entrust Saint John Paul II to my prayers. I wish you a good night with that which is your second family, the one that accompanies you every day in the performance of your duties. Thank you all and a big hug.

Merry Christmas!

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