Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass Wednesday evening where he described the celebration as a feast of "faith, charity and hope". He reminded the faithful that refusing to help the poor and vulnerable is comparable to rejecting God altogether.

Rome

Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S. pontiff, led his first Christmas Mass at St. Peter's Basilica before an audience of 6,000, urging the faithful to support the poor and vulnerable. He stated that neglecting those in need is akin to rejecting God, and highlighted the dignity of every person in the face of economic dehumanization.

During the service, Pope Leo XIV also referenced his predecessor's concerns about indifference to children and strangers, and called for a global truce on Christmas Day. He expressed sorrow over the lack of progress in peace negotiations for Ukraine.

Pope Leo reminds believers to help the poor in first Christmas mass

In the opulent St. Peter's Basilica, the first U.S. Pope, Leo XIV, addressed around 6,000 people in his first Christmas Mass as pontiff. He struck a solemn tone, and recalling the birth story of Jesus, he reminded the faithful that refusing to help the poor and vulnerable is comparable to rejecting God altogether. LEO XIV, Pope of Italy, Italy To refuse one is to refuse the other, yet where there is room for the human person, there is room for God. Even a stable can become more sacred than a temple, and the womb of the Virgin Mary become the Ark of the New Covenant. Outside, hundreds of worshippers watched on screens under the pouring rain as the large cathedral was over capacity. A critic of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, he remembered the words of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who lamented a world that did not care for children, the poor, or the stranger. And further on in his speech, the 70-year-old took a swing at a twisted financial structure that he said was dehumanizing. While a distorted economy leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise, God becomes like us, revealing the infinite dignity of every person. And earlier in the week, he called for a global truce around the world on Christmas Day, expressing great sadness that negotiations for peace in Ukraine have stalled once again.

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