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In a memorable celebration, Pope Leo XIV delivered his inaugural Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, drawing a large gathering of devoted attendees.
Pope Leo XIV addressed thousands of worshippers gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, marking the first Christmas service of his papacy. The event was a significant moment for both the pontiff and the faithful who braved the elements to attend.
During his sermon, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that Christmas is a celebration of “faith, charity, and hope,” while also criticizing what he described as a “distorted economy” that reduces human beings to mere commodities.
Approximately 6,000 people filled the basilica for the solemn service, participating in the sacred tradition within the historic walls of St. Peter’s.
Before the mass commenced, the Pope extended his Christmas greetings to the crowd outside the basilica, expressing gratitude to those enduring the rain to watch the service on large screens set up in the square.
Many watched the service on screens from St. Peter’s Square, holding umbrellas and wearing ponchos under a hard rain in Rome.
‘St Peter’s is very large but unfortunately it is not large enough to receive all of you,’ he told the crowd of around 5,000 people.
Pope Leo replaced his predecessor Francis, who died on April 21.
The service combines traditional music with symbolic gestures such as placing a statue of the baby Jesus in a cradle.
About 6,000 were in attendance at the solemn service inside the basilica
The service combines traditional music with symbolic gestures such as placing a statue of the baby Jesus in a cradle
Before, the pope spoke in front of St Peter’s basilica to offer Christmas wishes and thank those who had come to follow the mass on outdoor screens in the rainy weather
The mass was attended by high-ranking Church figures, diplomats and around 6,000 faithful.
The ceremony celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and is one of the most important days in the Catholic Church calendar.
The service combines traditional music with symbolic gestures such as placing a statue of the baby Jesus in a cradle.
Leo stuck to a very religious homily without any direct reference to current affairs.
Leo, who has made care for immigrants and the poor key themes of his early papacy, said Jesus’ birth showed God’s presence in every person.
‘On earth, there is no room for God if there is no room for the human person. To refuse one is to refuse the other,’ said the pope.
He quoted a line from the late Pope Benedict XVI lamenting that the world does not care for children, the poor or foreigners.
‘While a distorted economy leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise, God becomes like us, revealing the infinite dignity of every person,’ said Leo.
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Should the Pope use his Christmas message to address global politics or focus solely on faith?
On Thursday, the pope will celebrate a Christmas Day Mass and deliver a twice-yearly ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (to the city and the world) message and blessing
The 70-year-old pope decided to hold the mass at a later time than under his predecessor, the more elderly Francis who would hold Christmas mass at around 1830 GMT
Leo on Tuesday called for a global truce around the world on Christmas Day, expressing ‘great sadness’ that ‘apparently Russia rejected a request’ for one in Ukraine
Christmas 2025 also marks the end of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Holy Year, which has brought millions of pilgrims to Rome
‘Where there is room for the human person, there is room for God,’ he said. ‘Even a stable can become more sacred than a temple.’
The 70-year-old pope decided to hold the mass at a later time than under his predecessor, the more elderly Francis who would hold Christmas mass at around 1830 GMT.
In another change, Leo will hold another mass on Christmas Day on Thursday, renewing a tradition from the times of late pope John Paul II (1978-2005).
Leo on Tuesday called for a global truce around the world on Christmas Day, expressing ‘great sadness’ that ‘apparently Russia rejected a request’ for one in Ukraine.
‘I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace – at least on the feast of the birth of our Saviour,’ Leo told reporters at his residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.
On Thursday, the pope will celebrate a Christmas Day Mass and deliver a twice-yearly ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (to the city and the world) message and blessing.
Christmas 2025 also marks the end of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Holy Year, which has brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.
