The Lord does not force us to give up our liberty, nor does he impose upon it, Apostolic Administrator Mgr Charles Scicluna said in his messages for Christmas to the Maltese and to emigrants.

Bishop Scicluna said: “The love of the Infant Jesus is an unconditional proposal and it does not even put pressure upon my response to it.”

Mgr Scicluna spoke on the need for society to become inclusive "much in the same way as Our Lord embraced our humanity and became man, so we too must have an all-encompassing love that welcomes everyone.”

The bishop noted that on this night, the churches in Mosul, Iraq, had become prisons where there was torture, and man’s dignity was violated.

“This makes us sad, yet we must not lose heart. In our own small way, let us ask ourselves: what are we doing to make one another welcome, so that we may live in a society and a world which encourages tolerance, solidarity, authentic mercy and peace?”

Listen to Mgr Scicluna's message in the video above. His messages to the nation and to emigrants can also be read in Maltese or English in the pdf links below.