Holy Christmas. Leo XIV: “To heal our blindness, the Lord chooses to reveal himself in each human being”

Vatican City – “The Basilica of Saint Peter is a very large Basilica… but unfortunately not large enough to receive all of you.” With a greeting delivered in four languages and a word of thanks “for your courage” to those who remained outside, Leo XIV chose to open Christmas Night 2025 in this way: by walking to St Peter’s Square shortly before the Eucharistic celebration to meet the faithful who were forced to follow the liturgy on giant screens.
At 10 p.m., in the Vatican Basilica, the Pope presided over his first Midnight Mass for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord 2025, while thousands of people, unable to enter because of capacity limits, took part from the square. “Good evening. Welcome everyone! Bienvenidos! Welcome!” he began, immediately linking hospitality to the concrete reality of logistics: a basilica that is “very large,” yet “not large enough” to hold everyone. Hence the decision to highlight the presence of the faithful in the square and their …