Pope Leo XIV revives tradition of multilingual Christmas greetings

Pope Leo XIV revived a tradition by offering greetings in multiple languages during his first Christmas Day message, Euronews writes.

In doing so, he revived the tradition of sending New Year’s greetings in several languages, which his predecessor, Pope Francis, did not follow.

In his address, the leader of the Catholic world focused on the importance of achieving peace through dialogue.

He referred to the conflict in Ukraine, calling on Russia and Ukraine to find the “courage” to engage in direct negotiations.

The Pope also condemned unrest and conflicts in other parts of the world, including Thailand and Cambodia. He urged the restoration of the “ancient friendship” among Southeast Asian countries and emphasized working toward reconciliation and peace.

He noted that the Christmas story should remind Christians of their duty to help the poor and strangers.