New Delhi, Dec. 25 -- VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo XIV delivered an unequivocal moral challenge to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics during his first Christmas Eve Mass as pontiff, declaring that refusing to help the poor, strangers, and marginalized is tantamount to refusing God himself. The stark message, delivered Tuesday night in St. Peter's Basilica, marked a defining moment for the first American pope as he addressed growing economic inequality and humanitarian crises affecting millions worldwide.

In his homily before thousands of worshippers, Pope Leo XIV condemned what he termed a "distorted economy" that treats human beings as disposable merchandise rather than children of God. The 58-year-old pontiff, who assumed the papacy in May 2...