Pope Francis holds his annual Christmas Eve Mass

Pope Francis holds his annual Christmas Eve Mass



Pope Francis in Christmas Eve remarks likened the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to the migrations of millions of people today who are forced to leave homelands for a better life, or just for survival, and he expressed hope that no one will feel 'there is no room for them on this Earth'.



The late-evening service in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sunday came after the pope's Angelus noon prayer, which he delivered from his studio window overlooking St Peter's Square.



The Argentine pontiff, himself the grandson of Italian migrants, told faithful at late-evening Christmas vigil Mass that the 'simple story' of Jesus' birth in a manger changed 'our history forever. Everything that night became a source of hope'.





Noting that Mary and Joseph arrived in a land 'where there was no place for them', Francis drew parallels to contemporary time.



'So many other footsteps are hidden in the footsteps of Joseph and Mary,' he said in his homily. 'We see the tracks of entire families forced to set out in our own day.



'We see the tracks of millions of persons who do not choose to go away but, driven from their land, leave behind their dear ones.'



Francis has made concern for economic migrants, war refugees and others on society's margins a central plank of his papacy.



He said God is present in 'the unwelcomed visitor, often unrecognizable, who walks through our cities and our neighborhoods, who travels on our buses and knocks on our door'.



That perception of God should develop into 'new forms of relationship, in which none have to feel that there is no room for them on this Earth,' he said.



'Christmas is a time for turning the power of fear into the power of charity,' Francis said.



He urged urged the world's 1.3billion Catholics not to ignore the plight of migrants who are 'driven from their land' because of leaders willing to shed 'innocent blood'. 



Many engulfed in the ongoing migration crisis were forced to flee from leaders 'who, to impose their power and increase their wealth, see no problem in shedding innocent blood', said the 81-year-old, who will give his traditional 'Urbi et Orbi' Christmas address on Monday. 



As the bells of St Peter's Basilica rang out at the start of Mass, Francis entered in flowing white robes before unveiling a statue of baby Jesus, which he gently kissed to start the event.



Like years before, children from countries that Francis has visited as Pontiff were invited to watch him speak inside the grand 16th Century church - one of the largest in the world.





The children left flowers around the statue of baby Jesus before Francis, 81, addressed the thousands who gathered at the basilica.



It is unclear how many exactly attended Sunday's Mass, but St Peter's Basilica has a capacity of 60,000. 



The 81-year-old pope, who was born of Italian immigrant stock in Argentina, has made defense of migrants a major plank of his papacy, often putting him at odds with politicians.



Austria's new chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, has aligned himself with central European neighbours like Hungary and the Czech Republic in opposing German-backed proposals to distribute asylum seekers around EU member states.



In elections in Germany in September, the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made significant gains, with electors punishing Chancellor Angela Merkel for her open-door policy and pushing migration policy to the top of the agenda in talks to form a coalition government.



Italy's anti-immigrant Northern League, whose leader Matteo Salvini often gives fiery speeches against migrants, is expected to make gains in national elections next year. A law that would give citizenship to children born in Italy to migrant parents is stalled in parliament.



In his homily, Francis said, 'Our document of citizenship' comes from God, making respect of migrants an integral part of Christianity.



'This is the joy that we tonight are called to share, to celebrate and to proclaim. The joy with which God, in his infinite mercy, has embraced us pagans, sinners and foreigners, and demands that we do the same,' Francis said.



Francis also condemned human traffickers who make money off desperate migrants as the 'Herods of today' with blood on their hands, a reference to the Biblical story of the king who ordered the killing of all newborn male children near Bethlehem because he feared Jesus would one day displace him.



More than 14,000 people have died trying to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean to Europe in the past four years.



Francis is set to his Christmas Day message 'urbi et orbi' - Latin for 'to the city and to the world' - on Monday from the central loggia of the basilica overlooking St. Peter's Square.