In first Christmas sermon, Pope Leo decries plight of Palestinians in Gaza

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza as he presided over his first Midnight Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

In his homily, he marvelled at the “wisdom” of the Christmas story — an infant Jesus born to save mankind. “In the face of the suffering of the poor, (God) sends one who is defenceless to be the strength to rise again,” the first US pope told a packed Basilica. “How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold,” he asked.

In a later Christmas blessing, the Pope lamented the situation for migrants and refugees who “traverse the American continent”. Leo, who has in the past criticised US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, did not mention Trump.

In Thursday’s service with thousands in St Peter’s Basilica, Leo also lamented conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, and Thailand and Cambodia. “May the clamour 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,” said the Pope.

Meanwhile, thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza.

Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, had cancelled Christmas celebrations during the war. But on Wednesday, the giant Christmas tree returned to Manger Square, temporarily replacing the wartime nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in a homage to Gaza’s suffering.

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.” Pizzaballa said he came bearing greetings from Gaza’s tiny Christian community, where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday. “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. Despite the holiday cheer, the impact of the war in the Israeli-occupied West Bank remained acute, especially in Bethlehem, where around 80 per cent of the Muslim-majority city’s residents depend upon tourism-related businesses, according to the local government.