Pope Francis Celebrates Christmas Eve Mass

Описание: Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peter's Basilica, Dec. 24, 2021.

READ MORE: A maskless Francis walked down the central aisle as the Sistine Chapel choir sang "Noel," kicking off the Vatican's Christmas holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. He remained maskless throughout the service.

In his homily, Francis urged the faithful to focus on the "littleness" of Jesus and remember that he came into the world poor, without even a proper crib.

"That is where God is, in littleness," Francis said. "This is the message: God does not rise up in grandeur but lowers himself into littleness. Littleness is the path that he chose to draw near to us, to touch our hearts, to save us and to bring us back to what really matters."

Attendance on Friday was limited to about 2,000 people, far more than the 200 allowed in 2020 when Italy was in a full Christmas lockdown. But the number is a small fraction of the capacity of St. Peter's, which can seat up to 20,000 and in pre-pandemic times would be packed for one of the most popular Vatican liturgies of the year.

The "Midnight Mass" began at 7:30 p.m. local time, a nod to the 85-year-old pope's endurance and a holdover from last year, when the service had to end before Italy's nationwide COVID-19 curfew.

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