Pope urges welcome to the vulnerable at Christmas

Pope Leo presided over a late-night Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, urging Christians to view the Nativity as a summons to welcome the poor, migrants and the vulnerable. Speaking to thousands inside the basilica and to crowds watching on screens in St. Peter’s Square despite heavy rain, he said the image of Jesus born in a stable because there was “no room at an inn” should prompt believers to reject indifference. “On earth, there is no room for God if there is no room for the human person,” he said, adding that where there is room for people, there is room for God.

Highlighting care for migrants as a central theme of his early pontificate, Leo quoted the late Pope Benedict XVI’s lament that the world neglects children, the poor and foreigners. He criticized an economic mindset that treats human beings as “mere merchandise,” and called for solidarity, humility and concrete acts of compassion. The pope appealed for peace and denounced violence and division, urging both leaders and ordinary citizens to respond practically to humanitarian crises and displacement.

The solemn liturgy included traditional hymns, scripture readings and prayers offered in multiple languages, underscoring the universal character of the Catholic Church. Choirs sang beneath the basilica’s ornate dome while clergy processed toward the altar; worshippers described the atmosphere as reflective and reverent. Security was heightened around the Vatican, with Italian police and the Swiss Guards managing access and crowd control.

Thousands attended the service in person—pilgrims, families, religious communities and diplomatic representatives among them—while many more watched in the square, huddled under umbrellas and ponchos. Vatican officials described turnout as strong and the congregation as diverse. The Mass concluded shortly before midnight, after which attendees filed out quietly into the rain, sharing greetings and carrying candles.

The pope is due to celebrate a Christmas Day Mass and to deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing and message, in which he is expected to reiterate calls for inclusion, protection for migrants and renewed appeals for peace and reconciliation worldwide. His homily at the Vatican set a pastoral tone for the season, framing Christmas as both spiritual celebration and moral challenge to respond to human need.