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His brief comments, delivered from the window of his private studio to pilgrims below in St. Peter's Square, built on his dismay expressed on Saturday that ever younger boys and girls are caught up in consumer pursuits.
"The way of living out, and perceiving, Christmas unfortunately quite often suffers from a materialistic mentality," Benedict said.
Addressing English-speaking pilgrims, the pope said he was praying that the approaching Christmas celebration "will fill your hearts with redeeming hope."
On Saturday, the pope lamented that children and adolescents were being deceived by "false models" of happiness pushed by adults who lead them down "the dead-end streets of consumerism".
Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, also cautioned faithful against the consequences of unchecked materialism on morality.
Highlighting the Vatican's concerns about consumerism, Benedict made the traditional papal visit to pray before a statue of the Virgin Mary at a piazza near the Spanish Steps - just metres from Rome's most chic shopping streets.
Romans equate the annual December 8 papal appearance with the launch of the city's Christmas shopping season, and the city's streets were jammed with tens of thousands of shoppers searching for holiday gifts.
En route to pray, Benedict chatted on Saturday with the head of a merchants association on Via Condotti, Rome's most prestigious shopping street.
- AP
