VATICAN CITY, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Pope Leo said in a Christmas Eve sermon on Wednesday that the story of Jesus being born in a stable because there was no room at an inn should remind Christians that refusing to help the poor and strangers today is tantamount to rejecting God himself.

Seven months into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV’s Chicago roots have helped frame both his spirituality and priorities.

Mindful that Pope Francis had often used the traditional pre-Christmas address to the Roman Curia to deliver some hard messages, Vatican officials had waited in expectation to see what Pope Leo would say.

Pope Leo XIV blesses a baby during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Basilica on Aug. 13, 2025, at the Vatican. Due to the heat, the pope gave his address in Paul VI Audience Hall but also greeted pilgrims in other locations. Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV has urged Vatican cardinals to put their ambitions of power and personal interests aside and work instead on building communion

Pope Leo indicated on Monday that he plans to follow the reform agenda of his predecessor Francis, praising the late pontiff's attempts to make the global Catholic Church more inclusive in an annual Christmas address to Vatican cardinals.

Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming extraordinary consistory of cardinals in January will be a pivotal but challenging landmark as he seeks advice on matters of broad and key relevance in church life and governance,