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VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis held a low-key Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday (December 24) that was turned gloomy by the coronavirus pandemic and said people should feel compelled to help those in need because Jesus himself was born a poor outcast .
The mass was held in the rear of St. Peter’s Basilica with fewer than 100 participants and only a small number of cardinals and bishops. It is usually held in the main section of the basilica and is attended by up to 10,000 people, including the diplomatic corps representing nearly 200 countries.
Everyone except the Pope and the small choir wore a mask during Mass, which began two hours earlier than usual so that even the limited number of people in attendance could return home before curfew at 10 p.m.
“The Son of God was born as an outcast, to tell us that every outcast is a child of God,” Pope Francis said in his homily.
Pope Francis conducts Mass on Christmas Eve at St. Peter’s Basilica amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at the Vatican on December 24, 2020 (Photo: Vincenzo Pinto / Pool via REUTERS) .
Pope Francis said Christmas should cause everyone to reflect on “our injustice towards so many of our brothers and sisters” rather than pursue “our never-ending desire for possessions” and fleeting pleasures.
“God came among us in poverty and need, to tell us that by serving the poor, we will show our love for him,” said the 84-year-old pope, celebrating the eighth Christmas of his pontificate.
On Friday, the Pope will read his message “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and to the world) from a hall inside the Vatican rather than from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square, an event that generally draws tens of thousands. of people.
Pope Francis arrives for a Mass on Christmas Eve at St. Peter’s Basilica amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Vatican on December 24, 2020 (Photo: Vincenzo Pinto / Pool via REUTERS).
Italians are under a nationwide lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holidays. Non-essential stores will be closed between December 24 and 27, December 31 and January 3, and January 5 and 6. These days, people can travel only for work, health or emergency reasons.
The restrictions mean that people will not be able to go to St. Peter’s Square or the basilica. All papal events between December 24 and January 6 will be held indoors with little or no public participation and will be broadcast live on the Internet and on television.
