Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday celebrated the first Christmas Mass of his pontificate, greeting thousands of worshippers gathered in St Peter’s Square ahead of the solemn service marking the birth of Jesus Christ.
Before the Mass began, the Pope addressed the faithful outside St Peter’s Basilica, offering Christmas wishes and thanking those who braved rainy weather to follow the ceremony on large outdoor screens.
“St Peter’s is very large,” he told the crowd, estimated at about 5,000 people, “but unfortunately it is not large enough to receive all of you.”
During his homily, Pope Leo described Christmas as a celebration of “faith, charity and hope,” while criticising what he called a “distorted economy” that reduces human beings to “mere merchandise.” His sermon remained deeply spiritual, avoiding direct references to contemporary political or global issues.
The Christmas Mass, one of the most important events in the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, was attended by senior Church officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and about 6,000 faithful. The ceremony combined centuries-old traditions, sacred music, and symbolic gestures, including the placing of a statue of the baby Jesus in a cradle.
The 70-year-old pontiff, the first pope from the United States, has so far adopted a more restrained and understated style compared to his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died on April 21. Reflecting this change, Leo XIV held the Christmas Mass later in the evening, departing from the earlier start times preferred by the elderly Francis.
In another notable shift, Pope Leo will celebrate a second Mass on Christmas Day, reviving a tradition last observed during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II (1978–2005). He will later deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing at 11:00 a.m. (GMT) from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, a moment when popes typically address global conflicts and appeal for peace.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pope Leo renewed his call for a worldwide Christmas truce, expressing “great sadness” that a request for a ceasefire in Ukraine had reportedly been rejected by Russia.
“I renew my appeal to all people of goodwill to respect a day of peace — at least on the feast of the birth of our Saviour,” he said while speaking to reporters at his residence in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.
Christmas 2025 also marks the conclusion of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Holy Year, an event that has drawn millions of pilgrims from across the world to Rome.
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