Pope Leo XIV celebrates Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's, while Bethlehem marks a hopeful return to festive traditions amidst ongoing struggles.

During the mass in Rome, Leo said Christmas was a feast of 'faith, charity and hope' and criticized a 'distorted economy' that 'leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise'.

Pope Leo XIV brought back the Christmas Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Wednesday night, which is the first held there since 1994.