Pope León XIV will again appear tomorrow on the balcony of the central Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, as he did when he was elected pope, to read his Christmas message and impart the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing (to the city and to the world).
"It is a feast of hope, because the Child Jesus ignites it in us, making us messengers of peace. The child who has been born and who brings us peace brings us God's love," the pope said in English as he came out onto St. Peter's Square before celebrating Mass inside, which will be his first Christmas since his election on May 8.
Then, the pope spoke in Italian: "Thank you for coming also at this time. It is a feast of faith, because God becomes man, born of the Virgin. It is a feast of charity, because the gift of the Redeemer Son is realized in fraternal giving".
"With these virtues in our hearts, without fearing the night, we can go to meet the dawn of a new day," he highlighted.
Before the Mass, León XIV surprised with a greeting to the nearly 5,000 faithful who were waiting in St. Peter's Square despite the rain to follow the "Midnight Mass" on the screens.
"St. Peter's Basilica is very large, but not so large as to receive all of you," the pope added.
He concluded by emphasizing that "Christmas, which is a feast of faith, of charity and of hope".
The pope explained that God, "before the expectations of the peoples, sends a child, so that he may be a word of hope; before the suffering of the wretched".
"He sends an undefended one, so that he may be strength to rise up; before violence and oppression, He lights a gentle light that illuminates with salvation all the children of this world," he added.
And "while a distorted economy induces treating men as merchandise, God becomes like us, revealing the infinite dignity of every person".
The pope also quoted the words of Benedict XVI, who stated that "while the night of error obscures this providential truth, there is no room left for the other, for the children, the poor, the foreigners".
"While man wants to become God to dominate his neighbor, God wants to become man to free us from all slavery. Let us celebrate the feast of Christmas.
However, Robert Prevost also stated that with the birth of the Child Jesus, "God gives the world a new life, His own, for all" and "it is not an idea that solves all problems, but a story of love that involves us".
