Seven months into his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV prepares to lead his first Christmas rites at the Vatican. The celebrations have the theme “The Christmas of the Lord is the Christmas of Peace” and will be marked by diplomatic messages and the resumption of traditions abandoned in recent decades.
On the eve of the festivities, Leo XIV lamented the worsening of international conflicts and said he felt “great sadness” at Russia’s refusal to request a temporary ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. Still, the Pope renewed his call for all nations to respect at least 24 hours of peace.
The first American pontiff in history, Leo XIV took advantage of the Christmas period to comment on a controversial political decision in his country of origin: the law authorizing assisted suicide in the state of Illinois. The Pope declared himself “very disappointed” with the approval of the measure — which, according to him, goes against the principle of the sacredness of human life “from beginning to end”.
Schedule changes
Leo XIV’s schedule for his first Christmas in the Vatican brings news for the faithful. Midnight Mass, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica, was scheduled for 10pm local time (6pm in Brasília), this Tuesday (24) — abandoning the model adopted by Francisco, who had brought the celebration forward to 7:30pm during the pandemic and maintained the time later.
The main news, however, is the return of the Christmas Day Mass, scheduled for December 25th, at 10am local time (6am in Brazil). The rite has not been led by a pope since the pontificate of Saint John Paul II in 1994.
In Brazil, Midnight Mass can be watched live on the Vatican News channel on YouTube, while TV Globo maintains the tradition of showing the celebration recorded at midnight.
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