Pope Francis calls for 'dignity' in 'human labor' during Christmas Eve Mass

Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve mass before an estimated 1,500 people in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday, going ahead with the service despite a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Italy, which has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees.

A maskless Francis proceeded down the central aisle of the basilica as the Sistine Chapel choir sang Noel, kicking off the Christmas holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. Participation in the event was once again restricted by COVID-19, so that the congregation was only about a fifth of the size of what it was in pre-pandemic years.

Francis — whose homily centered around the theme that Jesus was born with nothing — said people who are indifferent to the poor offend God, and he urged all to "look beyond all the lights and decorations" and remember the neediest.

"Brothers and sisters, standing before the crib, we contemplate what is central, beyond all the lights and decorations, which are beautiful. We contemplate the child," he said.

Francis, who turned 85 last week, said the baby Jesus born in poverty should remind people that serving others is more important than seeking status or spending a lifetime in pursuit of success.

"It is in them [the poor] that he wants to be honored," said Francis, who has made defense of the poor a cornerstone of his pontificate.

"On this night of love, may we have only one fear: that of offending God's love, hurting him by despising the poor with our indifference. Jesus loves them dearly, and one day they will welcome us to heaven," he said.