Christmas 2025: Papal Peace Appeal and Historic Celebrations in Bethlehem Amid Ceasefire

During his first Christmas Eve mass in Rome, Pope Leo XIV urged humanity to embrace peace and dignity, emphasizing that there can be no place for God where there is none for man. He invoked images of "unarmed and disarming armies" at Jesus' birth and called Christmas a festival of hope, inspiring people to become messengers of peace. The Pope also called for a one-day global ceasefire on Christmas, explicitly mentioning the conflict in Ukraine and lamenting Russia's refusal to agree to a ceasefire, while expressing hope for progress in Middle East peace efforts. On Christmas Day, he will deliver the traditional 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing from St. Peter's Basilica, with tens of thousands expected.

Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, Christians marked Christmas for the first time since the Gaza war with traditionally large celebrations amid a fragile ceasefire. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa led a procession featuring some 4,000 scouts parading with drums, bagpipes, and brass instruments under sunny skies. He called for hope and rebuilding during the midnight mass at the Church of St. Catherine, acknowledging the ongoing suffering and precarious future for families in Gaza despite the war's official end. For the first time since the conflict, a large Christmas tree was erected in Nativity Square, attracting hopeful pilgrims; the Israeli Tourism Ministry expects about 40,000 Christian visitors. Christians in the region remain a small minority, with roughly 1,000 in Gaza, nearly 2% of Israel’s 10 million population, and about 1.5% of Palestinians in the West Bank.