Christmas celebration brought together around 6 thousand faithful in Saint Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV presided this Wednesday night (24) at his first Midnight Mass as leader of the Catholic Church, in St. Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican. The celebration marked the official beginning of Christmas and brought together around 6 thousand faithful inside the basilica, in addition to thousands of people who followed the ceremony on big screens installed in Saint Peter’s Square, even in the rain.
Before the beginning of the mass, the pontiff greeted the faithful and wished them happy holidays. “We want to celebrate the feast of Christmas together. Jesus Christ, who was born for us, brings us peace and God’s love”, he stated. The celebration was preceded by the traditional Kalenda, the solemn announcement of the birth of Jesus. Then, Leo XIV unveiled the image of the Baby Jesus, a moment marked by the ringing of the bells and the illumination of the basilica, liturgically signaling the beginning of Christmas.
In his homily, the pope highlighted that Christmas does not celebrate an abstract idea, but the concrete presence of God in history. According to him, humanity has searched for centuries for answers to the meaning of life by “looking up”, but remains in darkness until recognizing the light that is born with Jesus. “The omnipotence of God shines in the impotence of a newborn,” he said, stating that the birth of Christ reveals the dignity of each human life.
Leo XIV warned about the exclusion of the most fragile as one of the main wounds in the world today. Taking up words from Pope Benedict XVI, he stated that there is no room for God when there is no room for human beings. “To refuse the human person is to refuse God himself”, he declared, mentioning children, the poor and foreigners as frequently marginalized groups.
The pontiff also criticized economic models that treat people as merchandise and contrasted this logic with Christian Christmas. “While man wants to dominate others, God becomes man to free us from all slavery,” he stated. For Leo XIV, the humility of Jesus’ birth is a response to injustice and a call to hope.
At the end of the celebration, the pope led the image of the Baby Jesus in procession to the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Basilica, accompanied by children who offered flowers. This Thursday (25), he presides over the Christmas Day mass and then grants the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing.
