Pope Leo XIV's Christmas Message "...Baby Jesus, lying in the manger, blesses everything and everyone. His gentle and humble presence spreads God's tenderness everywhere" to Vatican Employees

On Monday, December 22,  Pope Leo XIV addressed the employees of the Roman Curia, the Governorate of the Vatican City State, and the Vicariate of Rome, and their families, who had gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall for the annual audience to exchange Christmas greetings.BEST WISHES FROM THE EMPLOYEES OF THE ROMAN CURIA,
THE GOVERNORATE OF THE VATICAN CITY AND THE VICARIATE OF ROME, WITH THEIR FAMILIES - FULL TEXT ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
Paul VI Hall on Monday, December 22, 2025
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!

Dear brothers and sisters , Thank you for your warm greetings, and especially thank you for coming to this Christmas gathering. As you know, this is my first, and it's the first time I've met you all together, including many of your family members, and that makes me very happy!

Today we don't need to talk about work, but I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for the work you do. I'm getting to know the Vatican as a vast mosaic of offices and services, and little by little, with God's help, I think I'll be able to meet you by visiting the various work environments.

But today I'm happy for this family moment, now almost on the eve of Christmas. We experience it before the nativity scene, which is indeed present here too, in this Nativity scene donated by Costa Rica. In the nativity scene, popular imagination has often included many figures drawn from everyday life, who populate the space around the cave. Thus, in addition to the inevitable shepherds, protagonists of the event according to the Gospel, we can find figurines representing various professions: the blacksmith, the innkeeper, the innkeeper, the washerwoman, the knife grinder, and so on. Naturally, these are ancient professions: some have disappeared or been completely transformed. However, they retain their meaning within the nativity scene. They remind us that all our activities, our daily occupations, acquire their full meaning in God's plan, which has its center in Jesus Christ.

It is as if Baby Jesus, from the manger where he lies, blesses everything and everyone. His gentle and humble presence spreads God's tenderness everywhere. While Mary and Joseph adore the Child and the shepherds approach in wonder, the other characters go about their daily activities. They seem detached from the central event, but this is not the case: in reality, each person participates precisely as they are, staying in their place and doing what they are supposed to do, their job. I like to think it can be the same for us, in our working days: each of us carries out our task and we give praise to God precisely by doing it well, with commitment. Sometimes we are so caught up in our busy lives that we don't think about the Lord or the Church, but the very act of working with dedication, striving to give our best, and also—for you laypeople—with love for your family, for your children, this gives glory to the Lord.

Dearest ones, let us learn from the birth of Jesus the style of simplicity and humility, and let us, all together, ensure that this increasingly becomes the style of the Church, in all its expressions. Please also convey my greetings to your loved ones at home; especially to the elderly or sick, tell them that the Pope is praying for them.

I wish you a holy Christmas, filled with the joy and serenity that Jesus gives us. Thank you!