Vatican City: As the second week of Advent comes to an end, Pope Leo XIV described the Nativity as a powerful sign of hope and light for a world in need of comfort and reassurance.
Pope was addressing around one thousand people taking part in the Living Nativity tradition during a special gathering at the Vatican. The participants had come from different regions and countries and were preparing to process through the streets of Rome to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
Welcoming them, Pope said their pilgrimage to Rome and to the tomb of Saint Peter reflects the long journey of faith followed by generations of believers who travelled from across the world to this sacred place. After meeting the Pope, the group was set to celebrate Holy Mass at St Mary Major, often known as the Bethlehem of the West because the Holy Crib is preserved and venerated there.
Pope Leo recalled that this ancient relic, together with pilgrimages to the Holy Land, inspired Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223 to celebrate the first Nativity at Greccio. That moment marked the beginning of the Nativity scene tradition, which continues more than eight hundred years later in homes, churches and public spaces across the world.
Reflecting on the deeper meaning of the Nativity, Pope referred to the words of his predecessors. Pope Benedict XVI once said the Nativity shows God coming without weapons or force, choosing humility over pride and violence. Pope Francis later explained that contemplating the Nativity invites believers to begin a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of Christ who became human for all.
Pope said that in the poverty of Bethlehem, where the Holy Family found shelter, believers are invited to begin again and to shape their lives by following in Christ’s footsteps.
As the Living Nativity participants walk through Rome, Pope Leo said they become a joyful sign of what it means to be disciples of Jesus. He encouraged them to live their daily lives as pilgrims of hope and to be bearers of consolation and inspiration to everyone they meet, including the young and the old, the healthy and the sick, the lonely and those who are suffering.
In his closing words, the Pope stressed that the Nativity reminds humanity that no one is ever alone. He urged participants to keep this tradition alive and to share its message widely, saying the Nativity remains a gift of light for a world that continues to long for hope.