And we're hoping that the rain will clear. You can already see, if you're watching on television, a little bit of blue skies peeking through the clouds.
We do thank you for joining us this morning. A reminder that in just a few moments, our Holy Father will give the Urbi et Orbi blessing. We'll come back on in just about 20 minutes, right before 12:00 noon Rome time, for the Pope's Christmas message and blessing to the city of Rome and to the world.
Thanks to all of our partner stations who help make these broadcasts possible. If you're listening in on EWTN TV, Catholic Faith Network in America, Salt and Light TV, Shalom World TV, Amadaran TV, Catholic TV, Luminous Radio India — thanks to our partners for working with us, and thanks to all of you for joining us this very happy Christmas morning.
Join us again in just about 15–20 minutes for the Pope's Urbi et Orbi blessing with my colleague Francesca Merlo.
My name is Christopher Wells. It's been a great pleasure providing the English translation of the Pope's homily and the commentary for this Mass.
And a very happy Christmas Day and blessed Christmas season to all of you from all of us here at Vatican Radio. Praise be Jesus Christ. Laudetur Jesus Christus.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Christmas.
I knew you.
Keep the... Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
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Hallelujah.
Clap.
Indiana.
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Laudetur Jesus.
Praise be Jesus Christ. Welcome back to all of you who are joining us for this global telecast from the Vatican of Pope Leo's Urbi et Orbi blessing offered on this Christmas Day, his very first Christmas as Bishop of Rome. So, welcome back, of course, to those of you who are following on from his Christmas morning Mass. And a warm welcome to all of you who are just joining. And the welcome especially goes to our listeners all around the world joining through our various Vatican media channels as well as through our partner stations, and these are EWTN Television, Catholic Faith Network in America, Salt and Light Television, Shalom World Television, Amadaran Television, Catholic Television, Luminous Radio India, and Radio Maria England.
So in a few minutes at midday local time, Pope Leo will appear on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to deliver the Urbi et Orbi message and blessing. Urbi is Latin for 'to the city of Rome,' because he is the Bishop of Rome, and Orbi means 'to the world.' It is among the most solemn blessings that the popes give and is traditionally offered at Christmas, Easter, and on the occasion of the election of a new pope.
Through this blessing, the Holy Father addresses not only the faithful gathered here in Rome, the Urbi, but all of the people of goodwill across the world, the Orbi. And it is both a proclamation of faith and a moral appeal. And often the popes reflect on global suffering, conflict, injustice, and on the longing for peace, which in our world, of course, is more important than ever.
Those who receive the blessing, and that means whether you are receiving it in person or via any means of social communication. If you receive the blessing live, you may also receive a plenary indulgence.
Now, Pope Leo has just concluded his Christmas morning Mass, and the last time that a pontiff celebrated Mass on Christmas Day was in 1994 with St. John Paul II. The popes between then, so Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, actually put that tradition on hold. But as we saw this morning, Pope Leo has picked it up again.
And for that Christmas morning Mass inside the basilica, around 6,000 faithful were participating, whilst around 4,000 more were following from the screens in St. Peter's Square outside. A great turnout considering the not particularly pleasant weather we're having today in Rome. A lot of colorful umbrellas. Those of you who are following on a screen will be able to see the square looking quite gray, but as I said, full of colorful umbrellas.
And you can really feel the anticipation as we await the arrival of Pope Leo, who after the Mass this morning actually went out into the square on the Popemobile despite the rain to greet the faithful who had been following from the screens.
In his homily this morning, Pope Leo insisted that a new day has dawned and that we too are part of this new beginning. Even if few as yet believe it, peace is real and is already among you.
Jesus, he said, sent his disciples as messengers of peace to reveal the power to become children of God who follow the Word that became human flesh. A Word that in the baby Jesus appears but cannot speak.
Pope Leo explained that flesh is the radical nakedness that in Bethlehem, as on Calvary, remains without words, just as so many brothers and sisters stripped of their dignity and reduced to silence have no words today.
And yet, he continued, since God's Word became flesh, humanity now speaks, crying out with God's own desire to encounter us.
The Holy Father recalled too the fragility of human flesh in all those suffering from war and in the young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths.
It is when the fragility of others penetrates our heart, when their pain shatters our rigid certainties, that peace has already begun. And this, the Pope said, is how Christmas gives a fresh impetus to the missionary Church, urging her onto the paths traced out for her by the Word of God.
This is the way of mission, the Pope said, a path to others. In God, every word is an addressed word, an invitation to conversation, a word never closed in on itself. This is the renewal that Vatican II promoted, which will bear fruit only if we walk together with the whole of humanity.
And concluding his homily at Mass this morning, Pope Leo said that the movement of the incarnation is a dynamic of conversation. There will be peace when our monologues are interrupted and when we, enriched by listening, fall to our knees before the humanity of the other.
So even this morning, strong appeals for the importance of peace.
Just a couple of minutes left until we expect to see Pope Leo appear on the central loggia, the balcony of the central loggia of the basilica, to deliver his Urbi et Orbi message and blessing.
We are expecting the Pope to speak in Italian. And if that is the case, I will be providing an English language translation of the Pope's words as he speaks them.
As the clock strikes 12, the crowd in St. Peter's Square calls out for Pope Leo.
And here he is.
O Felix Roma, the anthem of the Holy See.
Let's...
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Dear brothers and sisters, let us rejoice in the Lord, for our Savior has been born in the world. Today true peace has come down to us from heaven. Thus sings the liturgy on Christmas night, and the announcement of Bethlehem resounds in the Church. The child born of the Virgin Mary is Christ the Lord, sent by the Father to save us from sin and death.
Indeed, he is our peace. He has conquered hatred and enmity through God's merciful love. For this reason, the Lord's birth is the birth of peace. Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn. As soon as he was born, his mother Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. The Son of God, through whom all things were created, was not welcomed, and a poor manger for animals was his crib.
The eternal Word of the Father, whom the heavens cannot contain, chose to come into the world in this way. Out of love he wanted to be born of a woman and so share our humanity. Out of love, he accepted poverty and rejection, identifying himself with those who are discarded and excluded.
Already in the birth of Jesus, we glimpse the fundamental decision that would guide the entire life of the Son of God, even to his death on the cross: the decision not to leave us under the burden of sin, but to bear it himself for us, to take it upon himself. He alone could do so. At the same time, however, he showed us what we alone can do, which is to take on our own share of responsibility.
Indeed, God who created us without us will not save us without us. That is, without our free will to love. Those who do not love are not saved; they are lost. And those who do not love their brother or sister whom they see cannot love God whom they do not see.
Sisters and brothers, responsibility is the sure way to peace. If all of us at every level would stop accusing others and instead acknowledge all our faults, asking God for forgiveness, and if we would truly enter into the suffering of others and stand in solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, then the world would change.
Jesus Christ is our peace first of all because he frees us from sin, and also because he shows us the way to overcome conflicts, all conflicts, whether interpersonal or international. Without a heart freed from sin, a heart that has been forgiven, we cannot be men and women of peace or builders of peace.
This is why Jesus was born in Bethlehem and died on the cross to free us from sin. He is the Savior. With his grace, we can and must each do our part to reject hatred, violence, and opposition, and to practice dialogue, peace, and reconciliation.
On this day of celebration, I wish to send a warm and fatherly greeting to all Christians, especially those living in the Middle East, whom I recently visited on my first apostolic journey. I listened to them as they expressed their fears and know well their sense of powerlessness before the power dynamics that overwhelm them.
The child born today in Bethlehem is the same Jesus who says, 'In me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.' From God, let us ask for justice, peace, and stability for Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Syria. Trusting in these divine words, the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
Let us entrust the entire European continent to the Prince of Peace, asking him to continue to inspire a spirit of community and cooperation in fidelity to its Christian roots and history, and in solidarity with and acceptance of those in need.
Ukraine. Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine. May the clamor of weapons cease, and may the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct, and respectful dialogue.
From the child of Bethlehem, we implore peace and consolation for the victims of all current wars in the world, especially those that are forgotten, and for those who suffer due to injustice, political instability, religious persecution, and terrorism.
I remember in a special way our brothers and sisters in Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In these final days of the Jubilee of Hope, let us pray to God made man for the beloved people of Haiti that all forms of violence in the country will cease and that progress will be made on the path of peace and reconciliation.
May the child Jesus inspire those in Latin America who hold political responsibilities so that, in facing the numerous challenges, space may be given to dialogue for the common good rather than to ideological and partisan prejudices.
Let us ask the Prince of Peace to illuminate Myanmar with the light of a future of reconciliation, restoring hope to the younger generations, guiding its entire people along paths of peace, and accompanying those who live without shelter, security, or confidence in tomorrow.
We ask the Lord that the ancient friendship between Thailand and Cambodia be restored, and that the parties involved will continue to work towards reconciliation and peace.
We also entrust to God the peoples of South Asia and Oceania who have been severely tested by recent devastating natural disasters that have struck entire communities. In the face of such trials, I invite everyone to renew with heartfelt conviction our shared commitment to assisting those who suffer.
In the darkness of the night, the true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world. But his own people did not accept him. Let us not allow ourselves to be overcome by indifference towards those who suffer. For God is not indifferent to our distress.
In becoming man, Jesus took upon himself our fragility, identifying with each one of us: with those who have nothing and have lost everything, like the inhabitants of Gaza; with those who are prey to hunger and poverty, like the Yemeni people; with those who are fleeing their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, like the many refugees and migrants who cross the Mediterranean or traverse the American continent; with those who have lost their jobs and those who are looking for work, like so many young people who struggle to find employment; with those who are exploited, like many underpaid workers; with those in prison who often live in inhumane conditions.
The invocation of peace that rises from every land reaches God's heart. As one poet wrote, 'Not the peace of a ceasefire, not even the vision of the wolf and the lamb, but rather as in the heart when the excitement is over and you can talk only about a great weariness. Let it come like wild flowers suddenly, because the field must have it.' World peace.
Our brothers and sisters who are in need or in pain. In doing so, we open our hearts to the child Jesus who welcomes us with open arms and reveals his divinity to us. But to all who received him, he gave power to become children of God.
In a few days' time, the Jubilee year will come to an end. The holy doors will close, but Christ our hope remains with us always. He is the door that is always open, leading us into divine life. This is the joyful proclamation of this day: the child who was born is God made man. He comes not to condemn but to save. His is not a fleeting appearance, for he comes to stay and to give himself.
In him every wound is healed and every heart finds rest and peace. The Lord's birth is the birth of peace. To all of you, I offer heartfelt good wishes for a peaceful and holy Christmas.
And now I extend warm wishes to the faithful in many languages. In Italian,
in French,
English: Merry Christmas. May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts and in your families.
In Spanish,
in Portuguese,
in Polish,
in Arabic: Milad Majid, Liam, Salam, Mik,
Chinese,
in Latin: Felix sit vobis Nativitas Domini nostri Jesu Christi.
