Pope Leo XIV on Sunday presided over the final major celebration of the Holy Year, calling for renewed commitment to justice, rehabilitation, and hope as he celebrated a Jubilee Mass dedicated to prisoners in St.

“The Nativity scene and the Christmas tree are signs of faith and hope,” he said to all those present. “Let the tenderness of the child Jesus illuminate our lives. Let God’s love, like the branches of an evergreen tree, remain fervent in us.”

Concluding his reflection, Pope Leo said that Advent calls Christians to unite their expectation of the Savior with attentiveness to God’s action in the world. “Then we will be able to experience the joy of freedom in encountering our Savior,” he said, echoing the Church’s celebration of Gaudete Sunday.

Pope Leo XIV has denounced the antisemitic violence behind the Sydney Hanukkah massacre. On Monday, he prayed for the victims and called for peace and fraternity during the holiday season.

Condemning the attack on Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney, Pope Leo XIV said, “Enough with these forms of antisemitic violence! We must eradicate hatred from our hearts.”

Even in difficult situations and harsh places, like prisons, when people focus on caring for one another, respecting each other and offering forgiveness, "beautiful flowers spring forth from the 'hard ground' of sin and suffering," Pope Leo XIV said.

The Holy Father delivered a homily in Spanish in the form of a prayer addressed to the patroness of Mexico and empress of the Americas.

The pope also said that Europe should be involved in security guarantees for Ukraine after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Benches created by District 205 students and teachers depicting Pope Leo XIV are inside Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home in Dolton.

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV called for nations to give out amnesties and pardons to prisoners during the Jubilee year.

The pontiff offers something rare: a pastor-leader urging the church to reclaim the dignity of every person — not as an abstract idea, but as the core of its public witness.

President Donald Trump said he remains open to meeting with Pope Leo XIV and insisted he wasn't aware of the pontiff's comments expressing disagreement with his immigration policies.