Last year, the Pope’s annual speech to the members of the Curia made news for two reason: one, there was a notable delay in the release of its text. Secondly, in it, Benedict reflected on the need to re-evaluate and resituate the Second Vatican Council within the broader context of 2000 years of Catholic tradition and life.

Here is the text of this year’s speech – in Italian. I have no idea what it says, and absolutely no time to figure it out. A quick look indicates that he goes through his major trips of the year and pulls out the important points from those journeys. Nothing has come through any of the usual news sources indicating the content…so perhaps later this afternoon, someone will have reported. Teresa Benedetta is working on translating it so you might keep your eyes on this place and on VIS, which will probably provide some highlights.

Here’s an account from AsiaNews:

“Bringing God back into play as a reality”: this is the way ahead to find peace in the Holy Land, to restore Europe’s courage to have children, to give a boost to ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue, and to understand the true meaning of ecclesial celibacy. Prompting the world to “lean upon God in the most concrete and radical way possible” is a thread that has run through all the steps taken by Benedict XVI in the year coming to a close. It is a point he came back to, especially when dwelling upon his international trips, in an “assessment” he gave during an address to cardinals, members of the pontifical family and the Roman curia, who met today for the delivery of Christmas greetings.

In a long and fluent speech, the pope also tackled issues like de facto couples and PACS – reasserting the right of the Church to condemn legislation that permits them – and the relationship between faith and reason, central to the “lectio” in Regensburg. For this, “faith in that God who is in person the Reason creator of the universe must be welcomed by science in a new way as a challenge and chance. Reciprocally, this faith must newly acknowledge its intrinsic vastness and own reason”.

The pope said: “The year coming to a close is imprinted in our memory with the deep marks of the horrors of war around the Holy Land as well as, in general, the danger of a clash between cultures and religions – a danger that still now hangs threateningly over this historic moment of ours. The problem of paths to peace has thus become a challenge of chief importance for all those who are concerned about mankind. This goes especially for the Church – the promise that has accompanied it from the beginning signifies both a responsibility and a task: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours’ (Lk 2:14).

This greeting of the angel to the shepherds on the night of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem reveals an inseparable connection between the relationship of men with God and their mutual relationship. Peace on earth cannot be found without reconciliation with God, without harmony between heaven and earth. This correlation of the theme ‘God’ with the theme ‘peace’ has been the determining factor of this year’s four Apostolic Journeys and it is to them that I wish to return now.”