Pope Leo XIV leaves in procession the St. Peter’s Basilica (Image: Getty Images)
Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square as Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday.
After two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of Christmas spirit.
On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The giant Christmas tree returned to Manger Square, and about 6,000 people were in attendance at the solemn service inside the basilica.
Christmas Eve mass at St. Peterâs Basilica in Vatican City, Vatican on December 24, 2025. (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
READ MORE: Police issue update on alleged murder of rapper’s brother after fatal stabbing
READ MORE: Man charged after woman killed ‘in unprovoked attack’ while Christmas shopping
The ceremony celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and is one of the most important days in the Catholic Church calendar. The 70-year-old pope decided to hold the mass at a later time than under his predecessor, the more elderly Francis who would hold Christmas mass at around 1830 GMT.
Pope Leo will also hold another mass on Christmas Day on Thursday, renewing a tradition from the times of late pope John Paul II (1978-2005).
The service combines traditional music with symbolic gestures such as placing a statue of the baby Jesus in a cradle. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic leader in the Holy Land, kicked off this year’s celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for “a Christmas full of light.”
Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, presides over his first Christmas Eve mass at St. Peterâs Basilica (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Pizzaballa said he came bearing greetings from Gaza’s tiny Christian community, where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday. In the devastation, he saw a desire to rebuild.
“We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” he told thousands of people, Christian and Muslim.
Fadi Zoughbi, who attended the event, said his children were ecstatic to see marching bands streaming through Bethlehem’s streets, Palestinian flags and tartan draped on their bagpipes.
Irene Kirmiz, who grew up in Bethlehem and lives in Ramallah, said the scout parade is among her favorite Christmas traditions. Her 15-year-old daughter plays the tenor drum with the Ramallah scouts.
But her family had to wake up at 5 a.m. to arrive for the parade, after waited about three hours at Israeli checkpoints. The drive previously took 40 minutes without the checkpoints that have increasingly made travel difficult for Palestinians, she said.
Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, presides over his first Christmas Eve mass (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
At St. Peter’s, an estimated 6,000 people worshipped inside the vast basilica decorated with poinsettias, while another 5,000 watched the Mass on giant screens in the rain-soaked piazza outside.
Leo will return to the basilica for Mass on Christmas Day followed by his traditional blessing from the loggia.