Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday night, delivering a homily that condemned the “senselessness” of war and urged compassion for people in Gaza, refugees around the world, and the homeless, as thousands of worshippers gathered despite rainy conditions.
Worshippers filled St. Peter’s Square and the basilica as light rain fell through much of the evening, marking the pope’s first Christmas celebration since becoming pontiff.
In his homily, Leo framed Christmas as a call to recognize human fragility and respond with care rather than indifference, repeatedly returning to the theme of peace as something already present but easily ignored.
“Peace is real, and it is already among us,” he said, describing peace not as a political abstraction but as something born when suffering is acknowledged and met with tenderness.
Referencing the Christmas story, the pope reflected on the image of “the Word of God” arriving in silence and vulnerability, saying that human suffering today mirrors that same fragile condition. He pointed specifically to civilians caught in war, displaced families, and people living without shelter.
“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind, and cold; and of those of so many other refugees and displaced persons on every continent; or of the makeshift shelters of thousands of homeless people in our own cities?” he said.
The pope also spoke about young people forced into combat, describing the mental and moral toll of war on those sent to fight.
“Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them,” he said, criticizing what he called the “falsehoods” used to justify war by those far removed from its consequences.
The pope has often commented on the Russia-Ukraine War, highlighting the humanitarian toll being suffered without a peace deal.
Throughout the homily, Pope Leo emphasized listening to suffering as a prerequisite for peace, arguing that peace begins when the pain of others “penetrates our hearts” and disrupts complacency.
“When the fragility of others penetrates our hearts, when their pain shatters our rigid certainties, then peace has already begun,” he said.
The Mass closed with a familiar message from Leo, who has repeatedly urged dialogue over force and humility over dominance in the early months of his papacy. He cautioned against inward-looking faith and called on the Catholic Church to stay connected to the struggles of people beyond its walls.
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“There will be peace when our monologues are interrupted and, enriched by listening, we fall to our knees before the humanity of the other,” he said.
Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican is among the most closely watched religious events in the world, and Leo’s remarks underscored that humanitarian concerns, particularly the human toll of war and displacement, are likely to remain a central focus of his papacy.