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In Tirana, Catholic believers gathered at St. Paul's Cathedral where the Christmas Mass has been celebrated.
The Archbishop of Tirana and Durres, Bishop George Frendo, has linked the meaning of this feast to solidarity, drawing the attention to those affected by the earthquake.
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| St. Paul's Cathedral in Tirana |
In his speech, he has made an analogy of Jesus with modern man, highlighting how this holiday is a celebration of complete solidarity. Frendo has not been reluctant to put solidarity in the context of those affected by the November 26 earthquake.
Christmas Mass in Pristina
The failure to create institutions in Kosovo has not escaped the speech of the Bishop of Kosovo, Dodë Gjergji, at Christmas Mass, saying that the fate of the people is at stake.
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| Kosovo Bishop Dodë Gjergji |
At a mass held at St. Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina, Bishop Dode Gjergji said that the society would be better and there would be no dispute if they were united.
Christmas Mass in Skopje
In North Macedonia, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ was held at the Catholic Church "Sacred Heart of Christ" in Skopje, where the Holy Mass was held at midnight. In this mass were also present senior leaders of the state and government of North Macedonia.
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| At the Catholic Church of Sacred Heart of Christ in Skopje |
Vatican Christmas Mass
Thousands of Catholic believers have been waiting for Christmas at midnight at the Vatican, where Pope Francis said there is no excuse in the face of the love Jesus offers.
Pope Francis has been waiting for Christmas at the Vatican, urging 1.3 billion Catholic believers that church failures should not deter them from accepting God's love.
Pope Francis celebrated the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's Basilica at the presence of thousands of people, while hundreds more followed from a screen outside.
As the custom of vigilance requires, the 83-year-old Pope delivered his speech on the spiritual significance of the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Without specifically mentioning it, the Pope addressed recent events in the Catholic Church, including efforts to deal with the ongoing sexual scandals of churches around the world and financial irregularities within the Vatican.
“Let us think of the child and let ourselves be embraced by his tender love. Then we will have no further excuse for not letting ourselves be loved by him. Whatever goes wrong in our lives, whatever goes wrong in the Church, whatever problems in the world, should no longer serve as excuses. They have to come to the forefront, because in the face of Jesus' love, a love of tenderness and complete closeness, we have no excuse,” Pope Francis said.
During his recent efforts to tackle the scandals of sexual abuse, Pope Francis announced last week some changes in the way the Church will handle abuse cases, abolishing the "pontific secret" rule, rule that prohibits Church canonical investigations and trials from being made public.
Christmas Mass in Bethlehem
The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbatista Picabala led the Christmas Mass at the Church of the Nativity, which is considered by the faithful as the birthplace of Jesus.
Mass in the West Bank city of Bethlehem attracted hundreds of tourists from all over the world and was also attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohamed Stajeh.
Patriarch Picabala arrived in Bethlehem earlier in the day through the Israeli military base, where he conveyed a message of peace.
The holiday season in Bethlehem offers joy, though limited, to the Palestinians on the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which is separated from Jerusalem by a barrier.
Bethlehem is also enjoying its busiest tourist year in two decades, with foreign pilgrims arriving en masse, benefiting from a lull in Israeli-Palestinian tensions.