Pope Francis holds Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican as Christians converge around the world to start festive celebrations
- Pope Francis assured the faithful that God loves everyone – ‘even the worst of us’ – following a year of scandals
- With a choir singing the classic Christmas hymn ‘The First Noel,’ Francis processed down the centre aisle
- At the midnight mass he unveiled a statue of the newborn Jesus lying in a nativity scene at the foot of the altar
- Catholics across the world joined the Vatican in prayer, including at one of the churches bombed in Sri Lanka
Worshippers gathered to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis as he lead a Christmas Eve mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
Francis assured the faithful that God loves everyone – ‘even the worst of us’ – following a year of scandals and opposition.
With a choir singing the classic Christmas hymn ‘The First Noel,’ Francis processed down the center aisle late Tuesday and unveiled a statue of the newborn Jesus lying in a nativity scene at the foot of the altar.
Worshippers gathered to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis as he lead a Christmas Eve mass in St Peter’s Basilica. Pictured: The pope kisses a Jesus statue
Francis assured the faithful that God loves everyone – ‘even the worst of us’ – following a year of scandals and opposition
The Pope holds up the Book of the Gospels during the mass
Francis said the birth of Jesus, which Christians commemorate on Christmas Day, was a reminder of God’s unconditional love for everyone, ‘even the worst of us.’
‘God does not love you because you think and act the right way,’ he said.
‘You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you.’
At the same time though, he called for the faithful to allow themselves to be transformed by Jesus’ ‘crazy love’ and to stop trying to change others.
Iraqi Christians gather around a fire as they attend a Christmas Eve mass
Sri Lanka police personnel provide security outside St Anthony’s Shrine
In Lithuania, Christians gathered to watch a procession before attending a Christmas Mass at the Cathedral Basilica in Vilnius
Francis said the birth of Jesus, which Christians commemorate on Christmas Day, was a reminder of God’s unconditional love for everyone, ‘even the worst of us’
The Pope called for the faithful to allow themselves to be transformed by Jesus’ ‘crazy love’ and to stop trying to change others
‘May we not wait for our neighbors to be good before we do good to them, for the church to be perfect before we love her, for others to respect us before we serve them. Let us begin with ourselves,’ he said.
Francis has frequently emphasized his call for ‘personal conversion’ in his reform-minded papacy, believing that true reform cannot be imposed from on high, but discerned from within.
He has similarly denounced the ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude of doctrinal and legal purists, who have chafed at his progressive openings to gays, divorcees and people on the margins.
Francis has frequently emphasized his call for ‘personal conversion’ in his reform-minded papacy. Pictured: Pope Francis leads a Christmas Eve mass
Those critics have seized on the sexual abuse and financial scandals that have buffeted the papacy of the 83-year-old Jesuit pope.
The scandals are likely to follow Francis into 2020, with developments in a corruption investigation involving hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to the Holy See and the release of a report on what the Vatican knew about ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked for sexually abusing adults and minors,
Francis’ late-night Mass kicks off a busy few days for the pope, including a Christmas Day speech, noontime prayers, a New Year’s Eve vigil and a Jan. 1 Mass.
He has similarly denounced the ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude of doctrinal and legal purists, who have chafed at his progressive openings to gays, divorcees and people on the margins
‘God does not love you because you think and act the right way,’ he said. ‘You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you.’ Pictured: Francis unveiling a statue of the baby Jesus
The scandals are likely to follow Francis into 2020, with developments in a corruption investigation involving hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to the Holy See. Pictured: Pope Francis praying
Francis’ late-night Mass kicks off a busy few days for the pope, including a Christmas Day speech, noontime prayers, a New Year’s Eve vigil and a Jan. 1 Mass
Pope Francis leads the Christmas Holy Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica
This comes as pilgrims from around the world gathered in the biblical city of Bethlehem, revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, to celebrate.
Thousands of Palestinians and foreigners converged on the ‘little town’ in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with festivities taking place in and around the Church of the Nativity.
Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the most senior Roman Catholic official in the Middle East, arrived from the holy city at the head of a procession.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, blesses worshippers ahead of Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem on December 24
Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Church in the Holy land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arrives at Manger Square
A young girl wearing a Santa Claus costume on Christmas Eve at the Manger Square leading to the Church of Nativity, the traditionally accepted birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem
Christian clerics arrive the Church of St. Catherine to lead the ritual to mark Christmas in Bethlehem
Bethlehem is close to Jerusalem, but cut off from it by Israel’s separation barrier.
After crossing through the wall, Pizzaballa said it was a difficult time but there was reason for ‘hope’.
‘We see in this period the weakness of politics, enormous economic problems, unemployment, problems in families,’ he said.
Christians gather around the Church of the Nativity, which stands where Jesus was born, to mark Christmas in Bethlehem
Christians gather around the Church of the Nativity on December 24
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, arrives ahead of Christmas Eve mass
A Christian Orthodox cleric standing at the entrance of Manger Square
‘On the other side, when I visit families, parishes, communities, I see a lot of commitment… for the future.
‘Christmas is for us to celebrate the hope.’
In the square outside the church, a few thousand people watched in the winter sun as Palestinian scouts paraded to the sound of drums. A group of 20 New Zealanders sang carols in front of the 15-metre Christmas tree.
As evening fell, crowds thinned, with the church closing to tourists ahead of midnight mass, which Pizzaballa was to lead.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem on December 24
Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads Christmas Eve mass. Bethlehem is close to Jerusalem, but cut off from it by Israel’s separation barrier
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was expected to attend.
Andrea, a young Portuguese tourist, inspected her pictures from the grotto, taken shortly before the doors closed.
‘We waited two hours for only a minute on site,’ she said.
The first church was built on the site of Jesus’s birth in the fourth century, though it was replaced after a fire in the sixth century.
This year celebrations were bolstered by the return of a wooden fragment believed to be from the manger of Jesus.
Christian scouts teams take part in a Christmas Eve procession at Manger Square
Christian scouts teams take part in a Christmas Eve procession. Thousands of Palestinians and foreigners converged on the ‘little town’ in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with Christmas Eve festivities taking place in and around the Church of the Nativity
Christian clergy take part in a Christmas Eve procession at Manger Square, leading to the Church of the Nativity, the traditionally accepted birthplace of Jesus Christ
Sent as a gift to Pope Theodore I in 640, the piece had been in Europe for more than 1,300 years before being returned last month, Francesco Patton, chief custodian for the Holy Land, said.
‘We venerate the relic because (it) reminds us of the mystery of incarnation, to the fact that the son of God was born of Mary in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago,’ Patton told AFP at the time.
In the square by the church, Palestinian tourism minister Rula Maayah told AFP it had been a good year, with 3.5 million tourists visiting the city.
Christian scouts teams take part in a Christmas Eve procession at Manger Square, leading to the Church of the Nativity, the traditionally accepted birthplace of Jesus Christ
Christian clergy take part in a Christmas Eve procession at Manger Square
Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Church in the Holy land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arrives at Manger Square
Christian clergy take part in a Christmas Eve procession at Manger Square
Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Church in the Holy land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arrives at Manger Square
A woman uses her phone to film apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa as he kisses the hand of another worshipper ahead of Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity
But fewer Christians from the Gaza Strip were in attendance than in previous years, as Israel had granted permits to just around 300 of the some 900 people who applied, said Wadie Abunassar, an adviser to church leaders in the Holy Land.
The Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza are separated by Israeli territory and crossing between them requires hard-to-get permits.
Around the world, people were getting ready to ring in the Christmas festivities.
In Sri Lanka, worshippers attend the Christmas Eve midnight mass at St Anthony’s Shrine at Kotahena in Colombo.
In Sri Lanka, worshippers attend the Christmas Eve midnight mass at St Anthony’s Shrine at Kotahena in Colombo
The church was targeted in a series of suicide bombs in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday this year
On April 21, seven suicide bombers launched the attacks killing 290 people and injuring more than 500. Pictured: Worshippers attend the mass at St Anthony’s Shrine at Kotahena in Colombo
The church was the targeted in a series of suicide bombs in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday this year.
Dramatic footage showed a vehicle erupting into a fireball around 50 metres from church.
On April 21, seven suicide bombers launched the attacks killing 290 people and injuring more than 500.
Blasts ripped through landmarks around the capital Colombo, and on Sri Lanka’s east coast, targeting Christians, hotel guests and foreign tourists. Pictured: A Sri Lankan Army officer stands outside St Anthony’s Shrine
Worshippers attend a Christmas Eve mass at the Colombo church
In Iraq a priest lead a Christmas Eve service at the church of Um al Noor in Arbil, the northern Iraqi city and capital of the autonomous Kurdish region
Iraqi Christians attend the Christmas Eve service at the church of Um al Noor in Arbil
Blasts ripped through landmarks around the capital Colombo, and on Sri Lanka’s east coast, targeting Christians, hotel guests and foreign tourists.
In Lithuania, Christians gathered to watch a procession before attending a Christmas mass at the Cathedral Basilica in Vilnius.
In Iraq a priest lead a Christmas Eve service at the church of Um al Noor in Arbil, the northern Iraqi city and capital of the autonomous Kurdish region.
In the central Philippines, where Christmas is widely celebrated among the country’s Catholics, thousands of people were warned to leave their homes as a severe tropical storm approached.
A priest is pictured leading the Christmas Eve service in Iraq
Priests and clergy walk in a procession to attend a midnight mass in Lithuania
Priests attend the midnight mass at the Cathedral-Basilical in Vilnius, Lithuania
A priest holds an image of infant Jesus during the Christmas Eve midnight mass at St Anthony’s Shrine
Christians attend a Christmas Eve mass at a Catholic Church in Mersin, Turkey
The Catholic church in Turkey also held a midnight mass on Christmas Eve
A Christmas Eve mass is held at Latin Catholic Church in Mersin, Turkey
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