Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Midnight Mass in St Peter's Basilica. In his homily, he marvelled at the "wisdom" of the Christmas story — an infant Jesus born to save mankind.
"In the face of the suffering of the poor, (God) sends one who is defenceless to be the strength to rise again," the first U.S. pope told a packed basilica.
Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, had cancelled Christmas celebrations during the war. But on Wednesday, the giant Christmas tree returned to Manger Square, temporarily replacing the wartime nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in a homage to Gaza's suffering.
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, arrives at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP
