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Vatican City, December 24, 2025 – In his first Christmas Eve Mass as pope, Leo XIV called the faithful to rediscover the humility of God made human, urging them to “look not upward, but downward” to find the Savior. The newly elected pontiff delivered his homily before 6,000 worshippers inside St. Peter’s Basilica, while another 5,000 followed the liturgy from the rain‑soaked St. Peter’s Square.
Before entering the basilica, Pope Leo greeted those gathered outside who had been unable to obtain admission tickets due to overwhelming demand. “Buonasera, benvenuti tutti,” he said warmly, continuing in Spanish and English to express regret that the vast basilica could not accommodate all who wished to attend. “Jesus Christ is born for us; he brings us peace and the love of God,” he told the crowd before imparting his blessing and withdrawing to prepare for the liturgy.
A Return to a Later Start Time
The Mass began at 10 p.m., restoring the schedule used during the pontificate of Pope Francis. The liturgy featured the revered statue of the Madonna of Hope from Salerno, brought to Rome for the Christmas season and placed beside the main altar. Pope Leo wore a chasuble once used by St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI—whom he would later quote in his homily.
“People Have Searched in the Wrong Place”
In his sermon, Leo XIV reflected on humanity’s long search for truth, often directed toward the heavens while “the truth was missing in their own homes.” Instead of finding clarity, he said, people “groped in the darkness of their own oracles.”
To find the Redeemer, he insisted, one must look downward—toward the vulnerability of a newborn child:
“The omnipotence of God shines in the helplessness of a newborn; the eloquence of the eternal Word resounds in the first cry of an infant; the holiness of the Spirit radiates from this small body, freshly washed and wrapped in swaddling clothes.”
The pope emphasized that the infant Christ’s need for warmth and care is itself “divine,” reminding believers of the dignity inherent in every human life, from conception to natural death.
“Where There Is Room for the Human Person, There Is Room for God”
Leo XIV cited Benedict XVI’s 2012 Christmas homily, recalling that God reveals himself by becoming human:
“There is no place for God on earth if there is no place for the human person.”
A stable, he added, can become holier than a temple, and Mary’s womb becomes “the Ark of the New Covenant.”
A Critique of a “Distorted Economy”
The pope warned that a “distorted economy” tempts societies to treat people as commodities. Christmas, he said, overturns human expectations and reveals a divine logic rooted in humility and love.
Quoting St. Augustine, he noted that “human pride pressed you down so far that only divine humility could lift you up again.”
While humans often seek to become like gods in order to dominate others, God becomes human “to free us from every form of slavery.” He challenged the faithful directly: “Is this love enough to change our history?”
A Season of Gratitude and Mission
Recalling that Pope Francis had linked the Nativity to hope when opening the Holy Year one year earlier, Leo XIV said the approaching end of the Jubilee invites Christians to embrace Christmas as “a time of gratitude and mission.”
He urged believers to proclaim the joy of Christmas—a feast of faith, love, and hope. “With these virtues in our hearts,” he said, “we can walk without fear through the night toward the dawn of a new day.”
On Christmas morning, Leo XIV will become the first pope since the 1990s to celebrate the Day Mass publicly in St. Peter’s Basilica. At noon, he will deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing from the central loggia.
A Rich and Symbolic Liturgy
The celebration opened with the ancient Kalenda, the solemn proclamation of Christ’s birth from the Roman Martyrology, tracing salvation history to its culmination in the Nativity. Cardinals Re, Sandri, Parolin, and Ouellet concelebrated at the altar.
Ten children from South Korea, India, Mozambique, Paraguay, Poland, and Ukraine accompanied the pope in procession to the nativity scene, where he unveiled the figure of the Christ Child.
- Hector Pascua with reports from vaticannews.va/picture: @vaticanmedia
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