Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve Mass as coronavirus surges in Italy
- The pontiff celebrated with 2,000 people in St Peter’s Basilica, 10 times the number allowed last year, but a fraction of the site’s capacity
- No curfew is in place this year, but cases in Italy continue to set records, with 50,599 new infections recorded on Friday
Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St Peter’s Basilica on Friday, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in Covid-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees.
A maskless Francis processed down the central aisle as the Sistine Chapel choir sang Noel, kicking off the Vatican’s Christmas holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. He remained maskless throughout the service.
In his homily, Francis urged the faithful to focus on the “littleness” of Jesus, and remember that he came into the world poor, without even a proper cot.
“That is where God is, in littleness,” Francis said. “This is the message: God does not rise up in grandeur, but lowers himself into littleness. Littleness is the path that he chose to draw near to us, to touch our hearts, to save us and to bring us back to what really matters.”
Attendance on Friday was limited to about 2,000 people, far more than the 200 allowed in 2020 when Italy was in a full Christmas lockdown. But the number is a fraction of the capacity of St Peter’s, which can seat up to 20,000 and in pre-pandemic times would be packed for one of the most popular Vatican liturgies of the year.
The “Midnight Mass” actually began at 7.30pm, a nod to the 85-year-old pope’s endurance and a holdover from last year, when the service had to end before Italy’s nationwide Covid-19 curfew.