Pope Leo used his first Christmas Eve sermon to deliver a blunt message: shutting the door on the poor is, in his view, shutting the door on God. Preaching at a packed Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, the first US-born pope said the story of Jesus' birth in a stable should shape how Christians treat migrants, the poor, and those on society's margins, reports Reuters.
"On earth, there is no room for God if there is no room for the human person. To refuse one is to refuse the other," he told the roughly 6,000 people inside the basilica. He later added, "Where there is room for the human person, there is room for God. Even a stable can become more sacred than a temple."
Leo, 70, elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis, has made advocacy for immigrants and the poor a hallmark of his papacy, echoing and expanding on themes stressed by his predecessors. He praised Christmas as a day of "faith, charity and hope," per Deutsche Welle, but cited the late Pope Benedict XVI in lamenting a world that overlooks children, the destitute, and foreigners. "While a distorted economy leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise, God becomes like us, revealing the infinite dignity of every person," he said.
The remarks fit with his earlier criticism of President Trump's hardline immigration policies, Reuters notes. Outside in a rainy St. Peter's Square, about 5,000 people watched the Mass on large screens under umbrellas and ponchos. Leo came out to greet them before the service. "I admire and respect and thank you for your courage and your wanting to be here this evening, even in this weather," he said. The pope is scheduled to preside over Christmas Day Mass on Thursday, followed by his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing to Rome and the wider world.
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