New Delhi, Dec. 26 -- Christmas, the festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, was celebrated throughout the globe with devotion and festive gaiety on December 25 as churches were decked in lights and cribs, midnight masses drew large congregations, and community events spread cheer amid prayers for peace and harmony.

During his first Christmas Day address for the traditional papal "Urbi et Orbi", Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to shed indifference in the face of those who have lost everything - such as in Gaza, those who are impoverished, such as in Yemen, and the many migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea and the American continent for a better future.

The pope emphasised that everyone could contribute to peace by acting wit...