His Holiness Pope Leo XIV joins children at a school Christmas concert in Castel Gandolfo, and invites those present to communicate to all the gift of love at Christmas.

A special visit marked the eleventh edition of the Christmas concert InCanto, performed by the pupils of the Pontifical Paul VI School of Castel Gandolfo. Among those attending this afternoon was His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. After leaving the nearby Villa Barberini, where he regularly stays on Tuesdays, the Pope visited the school and then joined the pupils and their families in the gymnasium for the musical performance.

The concert was an occasion for the children to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and to underline that true richness is not measured by what one receives, but by the peace one can generate within oneself and in relationship with others.

As part of his program in Kerala in India, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), made a private visit and Spiritual Retreat in Mor Ignatius Elias III Dayro Monastery in Manjinikkara - Kerala.

The Vatican lights up the Christmas tree and Nativity Scene in St. Peter’s Square in a ceremony with Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governatorate of the Vatican City State, and Italian civil and Religious representatives of the Dioceses that donated the Christmas elements.

The Vatican’s Christmas tree and Nativity Scene were lit up and officially inaugurated in St. Peter’s Square on Monday, 15 December, by Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governatorate of the Vatican City State.

“Today, in this square that embraces the world, the Nativity scene and the Christmas tree are not merely Christmas decorations, but signs of communion, calls to peace and to the care of creation, and invitations to universal fraternity, which St. Francis placed above all else and which became the hallmark of his charism,” she said, recalling that next year will mark the 800th anniversary of the death of the Saint of Assisi, who began the tradition of Nativity Scenes in 1223.

The Anglican-Lutheran Annual Simulcast Lessons and Carols Service was held, in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, the Head of the Church for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), on Saturday 13 December 2025, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church and the Episcopal Cathedral in Philadelphia.

After celebrating Mass for the Jubilee of Prisoners, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV delivers his Angelus address for the third Sunday of Advent, saying that Christian joy endures "when life seems to lose its meaning and everything appears darker.”

“A Prophet, even in chains, retains the ability to use his voice in the pursuit of truth and justice."

Evoking John the Baptist, who was imprisoned for his preaching, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV opened his Sunday Angelus Reflection with this powerful image. Even from behind bars, he continued to hope and to question. John thus became a sign that the Word of God cannot be silenced, even when prophets are deprived of freedom.

During his Homily on the Sunday of the Jubilee of Prisoners, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV challenges both inmates and those responsible for the prisons to hold on to hope and he reminds everyone “that no human being is defined only by his or her actions and that justice is always a process of reparation and reconciliation.”

On the third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV celebrated Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the word “Gaudete”. He explained the “joy” of this Sunday reminds us of "the bright dimension of waiting: the trust that something beautiful, something joyful, will happen.”

Speaking to about 1,000 people taking part in the “Living Nativity” tradition at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV challenges them to spread the message that we are never alone and continue to be “pilgrims of hope, bearers of consolation and inspiration for all those you meet.”

As the second week of Advent draws to a close, inching the Christmas season closer and closer, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV celebrated a special tradition here at the heart of Rome. At the Vatican, the Pope welcomed about 1,000 participants in the “Living Nativity”, who will process today to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

He said that the group comes from all over to visit St. Peter’s tomb, which reflects the generations of pilgrims who have travelled across the globe to visit this sacred place. After their meeting with the Pope, the group will celebrate Holy Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major—also known as the “Bethlehem of the West” as the Holy Crib is preserved there.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV meets with artists and organizers involved in the Vatican’s Christmas Concert, saying that the festive period reminds us that God comes to meet us “at the very heart of our small human stories.”

For 33 years, the Vatican has hosted a Christmas concert in the Paul VI Hall. This year, the event is taking place at the auditorium on Via della Conciliazione, not far from St. Peter’s Basilica, on Saturday, December 13th.

In a meeting with organizers and the artists who will be participating, the Pope emphasized that “music accompanies our journeys, our memories and our efforts: it is a shared intimate diary that preserves each person’s feelings—nostalgia, desire, expectation, disorientation, rebirth—telling our story with simplicity and, at the same time, with depth.”

On Thursday, 11 December 2025, the newly formed committee of the Armenian Church University Students Association (ACUSA) paid its inaugural visit to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). Led by their Spiritual Advisor, V. Reverend Fr. Avedik Der Garabedian, the committee sought the Catholicos’ blessing and guidance.

Father Avedik expressed his filial gratitude for his appointment and conveyed the Association’s congratulations on the thirtieth Anniversary of His Holiness’s Pontificate. He subsequently outlined the committee’s vision, emphasizing the importance of thoughtfully integrating modern advancements for the enrichment of the Armenian community.

The Armenian Protestant Community in Syria held its Annual General Assembly on Saturday, December 13, at the Community Headquarters, under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Haroutune Selimian, Head of the Community.

Pastors, delegates, and representatives from Churches and community institutions gathered in prayerful fellowship, seeking God’s guidance and reflecting on their shared calling. The Assembly opened with Prayer and a spiritual reflection titled “Renewal”, based on Psalm 51:10 and Isaiah 58:10–12. The reflection emphasized that true renewal begins in the heart and is manifested through restoration, justice, and compassionate service.

Mt 11: 2-11

The first fruit of the coming of the Kingdom is the arising of a question in those who await it.

Not an answer, not a certainty, but open questions, which are paths to be traveled.

The question arises in those who go down to the Jordan to be baptized, and who, faced with John's preaching, wonder what they should do (Lk 3:10). The question arises in the heart of John himself, who marvels at seeing how the Messiah presents himself in history, radically upsetting his expectations.

We hear John's first question at the moment of Jesus’s Baptism, when with perplexity, he addresses Jesus saying: “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” (Matthew 3:14).

A second question is found in today's Gospel (Mt 11:2-11), when the Baptist, imprisoned, sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him if he is truly the One they were expecting, or if they should wait for another (Mt 3:3)…

On the final day of his three-day Pontifical visit to Cyprus, on Monday evening, 8 December 2025, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and his delegation visited Sourp Sdepanos Church in Larnaca. He was warmly welcomed by the Church’s Pastor, Rev. Fr. Mashdots Ashkarian, Members of the Board of Trustees, Deacons, and Parishioners.

Following the Canonical Prayer, His Eminence Archbishop Gomidas Ohanyan, Pontifical Vicar of the Cyprus, addressed the faithful on behalf of the community. He noted that this visit marked the final stop of the Catholicos’ pontifical visit.

In a new Apostolic Letter commemorating the centenary of the foundation of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV highlights the importance of archaeology, noting that this academic discipline bears witness to the fact that God became flesh.

Excavation, physically handling the ruins, rediscovering the vitality of time—the work of the Christian archaeologist involves not only material things “but extends to what is truly human”: the hands that forged the artifacts discovered, “the minds that conceived them, and the hearts that loved them.”

This is one of the characteristics of Christian archaeology that the Pope highlights in his Apostolic Letter on the importance of archaeology on the occasion of the centenary of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, published Thursday, 11 December 2025.

On December 10, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), prays at the tomb of Mor Ignatius Elias III Dayro in Manjinikara during his private visit and spiritual Retreat at the Dayro.

He prayed for the peace of the Church in India and throughout the world.

On December 8, 2025, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), visited the Nareg School in Limassol. School administration, board of trustees, and students warmly welcomed His Holiness Catholicos Aram I with the traditional blessing of salt and bread. In the school hall, Principal Vera Tahmazian delivered welcoming remarks and outlined the school’s mission. Ms. Tahmazian and the Chair of the board presented His Holiness with the symbolic key of the school, after which students offered a cultural program in his honor.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), accompanied by his Pontifical delegation, arrived in Limassol on the evening of December 7, 2025. At the entrance of Sourp Kevork Church, he was warmly welcomed by the Clergy, Church bodies, and faithful, led by the Pastor of Limassol, V. Rev. Fr. Hovhanness Saghdejian. Following the traditional offering of salt and bread, the Catholicos entered the Church to the hymn “Ourakh Ler,” after which the Canonical Prayer was offered.

On the second day of his Pontifical visit to Cyprus, Sunday morning, December 7, 2025, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Nicosia. The Service was celebrated by His Grace Bishop Dajad Ashekian.

Officials in attendance included the Ambassador of Armenia to Cyprus and Embassy staff, the Honorary Consul in Limassol, the Cypriot Armenian MP, and representatives of Diocesan and community bodies.

A Thanksgiving Prayer marking the 30th Anniversary of the His Holiness Catholicos Aram I’s Enthronement was offered by His Eminence Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian, who welcomed His Holiness and highlighted the community’s deep reverence.

During the visit of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), to Cyprus, He met with His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios III of Cyprus at the Archbishop’s Palace in Nicosia on December 8, 2025.

His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios III warmly welcomed His Holiness Catholicos Aram I. The primary focus of their discussions was the situation of the Churches in occupied Cyprus. Both Leaders stressed the importance of reaffirming the Churches’ legal ownership and explored the possibility of restoration where needed.

During his Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV meditates on existential questions of how human beings view death, and he invites us to ponder on the end of life so as to discover the power of Christ's Resurrection.

At the Wednesday General Audience on December 10, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV highlighted the importance of reflecting on death—especially in today’s world that tends to avoid doing so—to discover the power of Christ’s Resurrection and thus find a new meaning for our life.

To know that death exists, “and above all to reflect on it, teaches us to choose what we really want to make of our existence,” the Pope said to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

From December 4–7, 2025, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, embarked on a Pastoral visit to southeast Michigan, bringing with him the stories, struggles, and hopes of the Christian community in the Holy Land. Over four days, the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle welcomed him with Prayer, generosity, and deep solidarity, seeking to stand with the Church of the Holy Land during one of its most challenging periods in recent memory.