during his christmas day speech. translation: sisters and brothers, what would our world be _ like without the patient dialogue of the many generous persons who keep families and communities together. in this time of pandemic, we have come to realise this even more. our capacity for social relationships is sorely tried. there is a growing tendency to withdraw, to do it all by ourselves, to stop making an effort to encounter others and do things together. on the international level too, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue, the risk that this complex crisis will lead to taking short cuts, rather than setting out on the longer path of dialogue. yet only those paths can lead to the resolution of conflicts and to lasting benefits for all.