Pope Leo XIV, in first Christmas mass, says denying help to poor is akin to refusing God
Pope Leo XIV has celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (Reuters: Guglielmo Mangiapane)
In short:
Pope Leo XIV has held the first Christmas Eve mass of his pontificate in St Peter's Basilica.
Thousands of people have also flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza.
What's next?
Pope Leo will hold another mass on Christmas Day, renewing a tradition started by the late pope John Paul II.
Pope Leo XIV has led the first Christmas mass of his pontificate, greeting thousands of faithful in unusually informal style in St Peter's Square before the Christmas Eve service.
During the mass, Leo said Christmas was a feast of "faith, charity and hope" and criticised a "distorted economy" that "leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise".
The pontiff, who has made care for immigrants and the poor key themes of his early papacy, said Jesus's birth showed God's presence in every person as he led the world's 1.4 billion Catholics into Christmas.
"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," Leo said during the solemn service.
Earlier, he 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, despite rainy weather.
"St Peter's is very large but unfortunately it is not large enough to receive all of you," he told the crowd of about 5,000.
The US-born pope has adopted a more discreet and moderate style to that of his charismatic predecessor Francis, who died on April 21.
The mass was attended by high-ranking Church figures, diplomats and about 6,000 faithful.
Pope Leo XIV's first Midnight Mass in St Peter's Basilica. (AP: Gregorio Borgia)
Leo stuck to a very religious homily without any direct reference to current affairs.
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.
The 70-year-old pope decided to hold the mass at a later time than under the more elderly Francis, who would hold Christmas mass at around 7:30pm local time.
In another change, Leo will hold another mass on Christmas Day on Thursday, renewing a tradition started by the late pope John Paul II.
Pope Leo XIV will return to the basilica for Mass on Christmas Day followed by his traditional blessing from the loggia. (Reuters: Guglielmo Mangiapane)
He will then give his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing at midday local time from the balcony of the basilica — during which popes usually speak about conflicts around the world and call for peace.
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.
Christmas 2025 also marks the end of the Catholic Church's Jubilee Holy Year, which has brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa arrives at the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Christmas Eve. (AP: Ariel Schalit)
Meanwhile, thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza.
Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, had cancelled Christmas celebrations during the war.
But on Wednesday, local time, a giant Christmas tree was back in Manger Square, temporarily replacing the wartime nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in a homage to Gaza's suffering.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic leader in the Holy Land, kicked off this year's celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for "a Christmas full of light".
Cardinal Pizzaballa said he came bearing greetings from Gaza's tiny Christian community, where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday.
AFP/AP