Mosaic created by Italian artist Alberto Salietti for the papal apartment in 1955 and featured on the Pope’s Christmas card
“The Christmas of the Lord is the Christmas of Peace.” With this quote, Pope Leo once again recalls one of the central themes of his magisterium in the traditional card prepared by the Prefecture of the Papal Household, with which he offers his first Christmas greetings.
The chosen citation is from Sermon 26 by St. Leo the Great, the first Pope to bear the name Leo. The cover image that accompanies the card reproduces a mosaic created by the Italian artist Alberto Salietti (1892–1961) for the papal apartment in 1955.
The Pope’s Christmas card
Yesterday, in responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo asked people of goodwill for “that, at least on the feast of the birth of the Saviour, one day of peace may be respected.” That same “unarmed and disarming” peace he invoked when he first appeared at the Central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8th, shortly after being elected as Pope.
The Christmas celebrations
The Pope is therefore preparing to preside over the Christmas celebrations, starting with the Midnight Mass for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on December 24 at 10:00 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica. Ten children from South Korea, India, Mozambique, Paraguay, Poland, and Ukraine will carry flowers and accompany the Pope in the procession to the nativity scene in the Basilica.
Then the following day, on December 25, again in the Vatican Basilica, Pope Leo will celebrate Mass at 10:00 a.m. The Pope has reintroduced the Christmas Day Mass, which his predecessors, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XIV, never celebrated. The last time it was done by a Pope was St. John Paul II on December 25, 1994.
Also on December 25, the Pope will pronounce the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing from the Central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Then on December 26, feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, Pope Leo will recite the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square and likewise on Sunday, December 28.
On Wednesday, December 31, the last day of the year, the Pope will hold the general audience in the morning. The last time a General Audience took place on New Year’s Eve was 50 years ago in 1975, and it was held by Pope St. Paul VI.
That same day, later in the afternoon at 5:00 p.m., Pope Leo XIV will preside over the First Vespers and the Te Deum in thanksgiving for the past year.
The January events and the end of the Jubilee
On the first day of 2026, Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, the Pope will celebrate Mass at 10:00 a.m in St. Peter’s Basilica for the 59th World Day of Peace. At noon, he will recite the Angelus, as well as on Sunday, January 4.
Then on Tuesday, January 6, the Solemnity of Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Leo will preside over Mass at 9:30 a.m., which will be followed by the closure of St. Peter’s Basilica’s Holy Door, marking the end of the 2025 Jubilee.
Lastly, on Sunday, January 11, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Pope will celebrate Mass in the Sistine Chapel and baptise several children.
Source: Vatican News