Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has urged people across the world to announce and live the joy of Christmas, calling it a feast deeply rooted in faith, charity, and hope.
Presiding over the Christmas Mass during the Night at Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Pope reflected on the Gospel image of the bright star that shone in the darkness on the night of Jesus’ birth. He said this light continues to shine today, reminding humanity that a Savior has been born and that no darkness is beyond God’s saving love.
Pope said that in the birth of Jesus, God chooses to live among humanity in humility. God, he explained, gives not something distant or abstract, but his very self. To find the Savior, people are invited to look not to power or glory, but to the simplicity of the manger.
Pope Leo highlighted how God’s strength is revealed through the weakness of a newborn child. The first cry of an infant, he said, becomes a powerful message of salvation. This closeness of God helps people recognize the dignity of every human life, especially the smallest and most fragile.
Speaking about the deeper meaning of Christmas, the Pope said God offers the world a new life through the Child Jesus. In response to suffering, poverty, violence, and oppression, God sends a defenseless child who becomes a living sign of hope and renewal for all.
Recalling words spoken by Pope Francis at Christmas last year, Pope Leo said the Nativity of Jesus renews the mission to bring hope where it has been lost. With Christ, he said, joy grows, life is transformed, and hope remains strong.
In his concluding message, the Pope encouraged everyone to experience and share the joy of Christmas. He said faith helps believers see God becoming human, charity is lived through generous love for others, and hope is renewed as the Child Jesus inspires people to become messengers of peace.