Pope Leo XIV. on Wednesday, he celebrated the first Christmas vigil of his pontificate, greeting thousands of worshipers in St. Peter’s Square in his typically informal style before the service. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
- Pope Leo XIV served his first Christmas vigil.
- Leo emphasized the religious message of Jesus’ birth as hope.
- The procession to the altar was accompanied by children representing different continents.
- A million pilgrims will end the jubilee year of the church during Christmas.
In his sermon on the vigil of the Nativity of the Lord, Leo stuck exclusively to religious themes without direct reference to current events. He spoke first of all about the message of Jesus’ birth, which “does not give the final answer to all problems, but it is a story of love that enchants.” The Pope explained that God sent the child to people as hope, a cure for pain, as a symbol of strength to resist violence and oppression, and at the same time as “a light of goodness that brings salvation to all the children of the world.”
In particular, Lev emphasized that Christmas is a holiday of “faith, love and hope” and criticized an economy that leads people to treat human beings as commodities. The mass in the basilica was attended by high representatives of the Catholic Church, diplomats and approximately 6,000 believers.
He thanked the visitors
Before the mass, the Pope greeted people in front of St. Peter’s Basilica and thanked them for coming despite the rainy weather to watch the midnight mass on outdoor large-screen screens.
“St. Peter’s is very big, but unfortunately it is not big enough to hold all of you,” the Pope told the crowd of about 5,000 people. “Christ was born for us and he brings us peace,” the Pope said, blessing those present and their families.
The solemn vigil began at the main entrance of the basilica, from where the Pope and the priests moved in a procession to the main altar, where the Lion unveiled the statue of the baby Jesus, which had been covered until then. Ten children representing different continents brought flowers to the statue: two children from South Korea, two from India, two from Mozambique, two from Paraguay, one from Poland and one from Ukraine. All the children were dressed in the traditional costumes of their countries. At the end of the mass, the Pope, accompanied by children, placed a statue of Jesus in the nativity scene in the basilica.
He will also give a traditional blessing
Midnight Mass is a celebration of Jesus’ birth and is one of the most important days in the Catholic Church’s calendar. Pope Leo decided to celebrate it at 10:00 p.m., later than his predecessor, Pope Francis, who usually celebrated it around 7:30 p.m.
On Thursday, the Feast of the Nativity, Leo will celebrate mass and then, at noon, he will give the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, before which popes usually speak about conflicts in the world and call for the restoration of peace. Lev already did so on Tuesday when he called for a global ceasefire over Christmas, expressing “great sadness” that “Russia has apparently rejected the request” for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“I renew my call to all people of good will to respect at least one day of peace during the Feast of the Nativity of the Savior. So that there will be 24 hours, one day of peace throughout the world,” Lev told reporters as he left his residence in Castel Gandolfo for Rome. This year’s Christmas also marks the end of the Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church, which brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.
