The Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland Bishops of Clogher have sent a joint Christmas message to the people of the Northern Sound region and beyond.
Bishop Larry Duffy and the Right Reverend Dr Ian Ellis chose "hope" as the theme of their 2024 Christmas statement.
Using the title "Hope does not disappoint", the bishops distinguished between every day hope like hoping for a change of weather to Christian hope which involves faith in the power and love of Jesus.
Referring to the hymn "O Come O Come Emmanuel", the message tells us that the coming of Jesus at Christms is a cause of joy and hope for our world today, just as it was over 2,000 years ago.
The bishops wrote that just as Jesus gave hope to the blind and sick when he walked among us, he can give us hope today to sustain us in our daily lives.
Both bishops quoted Pope Francis ahead of the Jubilee Year of Hope he declared for 2025 when they said in their joint statement that Christians are "co-responsible for ensuring that manifold signs of hope bear witness to God's presence in the world.'
