One of the traditions that Pope Leo has revived is the public Mass on December 25, Christmas Day. The last time it was celebrated was two decades ago, in 1994, under the pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II.
Since then, the Polish pope, as well as Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, celebrated the Christmas Day Mass in private. Pope Leo XIV has now restored it.
This Mass was quite different from the Vigil Mass. For example, the Christmas Eve Mass was celebrated primarily in Latin, while this one was in Italian.
The homilies were also very different. The Vigil Mass homily was much more spiritual and theological. In this one, Pope Leo took the opportunity to reflect on what is happening in the world, turning his gaze to the Holy Land where Jesus was born.
POPE LEO XIV
The Word has pitched His fragile tent among us. And how can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind, and cold, and of those of so many other displaced persons and refugees on every continent, or of the improvised shelters of thousands of homeless people in our cities?
The Pope also used the occasion to connect the essence of Christmas with the problems afflicting the world. He spoke of defenseless populations, those at war, and those who carry open wounds.
CA
