Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square before the service in an usually informal style.

Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square before the service in an usually informal style.

VATICAN CITY (Dec 25): Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square before the service. During the mass, Leo said Christmas was a feast of “faith, charity and hope” and criticised a “distorted economy” that “leads us to treat human beingsRead More

Scouts marched under a clear blue sky in Bethlehem on Wednesday, as the Palestinian city emerged from the shadow of the war in Gaza to celebrate its first festive Christmas in more than two years.

On Christmas morning at 10am, the Leo presided over the Holy Mass during the day on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica.

Pope Leo XIV condemned the "senselessness" of war and the "open wounds" it leaves behind, as he delivered his first Christmas message after a year marked by conflict but also hopes for peace in Gaza and Ukraine.

Celebrations were in full swing in the occupied West Bank city. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Wednesday night as the Palestinian city ushered in its first festive Christmas in more than two years, emerging from the shadow of the war in Gaza. Throughout the conflict that began with Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023, a sombre tone had marked Christmases in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Scouts marched under a clear blue sky in Bethlehem on Wednesday, as the Palestinian city emerged from the shadow of the war in Gaza to celebrate its first festive Christmas in more than two years.

Hundreds parade down Manger Square, thought to be Jesus's birthplace, as bagpipes and drums return to West Bank city, which hosted subdued celebrations in recent years

Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Christians in Israel and Palestine are celebrating Christmas for the first time in two years now that Israel and Hamas have entered a cease-fire.

Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square before the service.

Scouts marched and crowds gathered under clear skies in Bethlehem on Wednesday as the Palestinian city celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years. The return of public celebrations…

Heavy rains have battered Gaza in recent days – compounding the harsh conditions of the Palestinian territory’s residents.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's, while Bethlehem marks a hopeful return to festive traditions amidst ongoing struggles.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as crowds of families and music and decorations heralded a much-needed boost of Christmas spirit after two years of war-tinged somber celebrations. The giant Christmas tree that was absent during the Israel-Hamas war returned on Wednesday, overlooking a parade […]

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass Wednesday evening where he described the celebration as a feast of "faith, charity and hope". He reminded the faithful that refusing to help the poor and vulnerable is comparable to rejecting God altogether. "To refuse one is to refuse the other, yet where there is room for the human person, there is room for God," said the pontiff.