VATICAN CITY, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square before the service.

During the mass, Leo said Christmas was a feast of "faith, charity and hope" and criticised a "distorted economy" that "leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise".

Before, he spoke in front of St Peter's basilica to offer Christmas wishes and thank those who had come to follow the mass on outdoor screens despite rainy weather.

"St Peter's is very large but unfortunately it is not large enough to receive all of you," he told the crowd of around 5,000 people.

The US pope has adopted a more discreet and moderate style to that of his charismatic predecessor Francis, who died on April 21.

The mass was attended by high-ranking Church figures, diplomats and around 6,000 faithful.

Leo stuck to a very religious homily without any direct reference to current affairs.

The ceremony celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and is one of the most important days in the Catholic Church calendar.

The service combines traditional music with symbolic gestures such as placing a statue of the baby Jesus in a cradle.

The 70-year-old pope decided to hold the mass at a later time than under the more elderly Francis who would hold Christmas mass at around 1830 GMT.

In another change, Leo will hold another mass on Christmas Day on Thursday, renewing a tradition from the times of late pope John Paul II (1978-2005).

He will then give his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing at 1100 GMT from the balcony of the basilica -- during which popes usually speak about conflicts around the world and call for peace.

Leo on Tuesday called for a global truce around the world on Christmas Day, expressing "great sadness" that "apparently Russia rejected a request" for one in Ukraine.

"I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace -- at least on the feast of the birth of our Saviour," Leo told reporters at his residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.

Christmas 2025 also marks the end of the Catholic Church's Jubilee Holy Year, which has brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.