By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GettyImages.
In his Christmas Eve sermon, Pope Leo XIV said the story of Jesus being born in a stable, should remind Christians that refusing to help the poor and strangers today is tantamount to rejecting God himself.
This was Pope Leo XIV’s first holiday season since becoming pope.
Leo, who has made care for immigrants and the poor key themes of his early papacy, said Jesus’ birth showed God’s presence in every person as he led the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics into Christmas at a mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
“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,” said the pope during the solemn service, attended by about 6,000 people inside the basilica.
“While a distorted economy leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise, God becomes like us, revealing the infinite dignity of every person,” said Leo. “Where there is room for the human person, there is room for God. Even a stable can become more sacred than a temple.”
The pontiff also asked for “justice, peace and stability” for Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Syria.
Since his election, Leo has highlighted the plight of those suffering of those in Gaza, and has been outspoken by calling for the better treatment of migrants. In his first major interview in September, the American pope voiced concern over “some things” happening in the country of his birth, highlighting the significance of a letter his predecessor, Pope Francis, had sent to US bishops earlier this year, rebuking the administration’s deportation plans.
Leo also used his Christmas blessing to pray for the “tormented people of Ukraine,” who have resisted Russia’s invasion for nearly four years. “May the clamor of weapons cease, and may the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue.”
Outside the basilica, about 5,000 people watched the service on screens from St Peter’s Square, holding umbrellas and wearing ponchos under a hard rain in Rome.
Leo, 70, came outside to greet them before the start of the mass. “I admire and respect and thank you for your courage and your wanting to be here this evening, even in this weather.”
On Thursday, the pope will celebrate a Christmas Day mass and deliver a twice-yearly Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message and blessing.