December 24, 2025 | 07:36 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pope Leo XIV is preparing to hold his first Christmas Mass in St Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve.
The Chicago-born pope is the first U.S. cleric to occupy the position, succeeding Argentinian-born Pope Francis, who died this spring.
The pontiff is expected to speak out against war and violence in his Christmas message. Earlier, Christian church leaders in Jerusalem emphasized a message of hope at Christmas while warning against false expectations of peace amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
In a joint message published ahead of Christmas Eve, the heads of the churches said a ceasefire in Gaza has allowed some communities to celebrate more openly again, but urged restraint and realism.
"Despite a declared cessation of hostilities, hundreds have continued to be killed or suffer grievous injury," the statement said.
The group includes the patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Latin churches of Jerusalem, the Custos of the Holy Land representing the Roman Catholic Franciscan Custody, and the archbishops of the Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches.
A traditional midnight mass will also be celebrated at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where a large Christmas tree has been erected for the first time in two years.
Read: This Is How Christmas Is Celebrated at the Vatican
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