VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to stop being indifferent to those who have lost everything, the impoverished, and migrants who crossed the seas and oceans to seek a better future.

This was the pope's first Christmas Day message since becoming the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

The first U.S. pontiff addressed nearly 26,000 people from the loggia overlooking St. Peter's Square for the traditional papal "Urbi et Orbi'' address, Latin for "To the City and to the World".

The crowds kept converging at the square despite the steady downpour during the papal Mass being conducted inside St. Peter's Basilica. By the time the rain subsided, Pope Leo took a brief tour of the square in the popemobile, speaking to the crowd from the loggia.

Pope Leo has revived the tradition of offering Christmas greetings in multiple languages that his predecessor Pope Francis had abandoned. He received warm cheers when he greeted the faithful in his native English and in Spanish, the language of his adopted country, Peru, where he served first as a missionary and then as archbishop.

Someone in the crowd shouted out, "Viva il papa!'' or "Long live the pope!'' before he retreated into the basilica. Leo took off his glasses for a final wave.

During the traditional address, the pope said that everyone could help bring about peace by acting with humility and responsibility. He said that if people truly entered into the suffering of others and showed solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, the world would change.

Leo called for justice, peace, and stability in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Israel, and Syria. He also asked for prayers for the suffering people of Ukraine and for peace and comfort for victims of war, injustice, political instability, religious persecution, and terrorism, referring to countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Congo.

The pope urged dialogue to tackle the many challenges facing Latin America, called for reconciliation in Myanmar, the restoration of the long-standing friendship between Thailand and Cambodia, and support for people affected by natural disasters in South Asia and Oceania.

He said that by becoming human, Jesus had taken on human fragility and identified with all people, including those who had lost everything, such as the residents of Gaza, those suffering from hunger and poverty like the people of Yemen, and refugees and migrants fleeing their homelands in search of a better future.

Leo also said he was mindful of those who had lost their jobs or were looking for work, especially young people, underpaid workers, and prisoners.

Earlier, he had led the Christmas Day Mass from the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica, which was decorated with floral garlands, red poinsettias, and white flowers placed at the feet of a statue of Mary. In his homily, Leo said that peace could only be achieved through dialogue.

Thousands of people packed the basilica for the pope's first Christmas Day Mass, holding their smartphones aloft to capture images of the opening procession.

This Christmas season marks the winding down of the Holy Year celebrations, which will close on January 6, the Catholic Epiphany holiday marking the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.