Pope Leo XIV greeted the soggy faithful in St. Peter’s Square in both English and Italian and apologized that there wasn’t enough room in the basilica for them all.

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday (Dec 25) urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.The US pope, who was elected by fellow cardinals in May after the death of his predecessor Pope Francis,

Mindful that Pope Francis had often used the traditional pre-Christmas address to the Roman Curia to deliver some hard messages, Vatican officials had waited in expectation to see what Pope Leo would say.

VATICAN CITY, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Pope Leo said in a Christmas Eve sermon on Wednesday that the story of Jesus being born in a stable because there was no room at an inn should remind Christians that refusing to help the poor and strangers today is tantamount to rejecting God himself.

On Christmas, let's remember Pope Francis's enduring message, "A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just," which emphasizes that small acts of compassion and understanding are crucial for building a more just society.

The new pontiff’s usual Christmas remarks prompted unease from European media outlets, and they raised increasingly common questions about the delicate line between moral balance and political activism.

Ford CEO Jim Farley is a long-time volunteer at the Pope Francis Center in Detroit, a shelter that provides services to those in need.

An iconic Vatican residence in the heart of Rome is set to close, displacing dozens of clergy and igniting controversy over money, faith, and the future direction of the Church.