ROME – Pope Leo XIV Sunday blessed statues of the infant Jesus that will be placed in nativity scenes on Christmas day, pointing to Saint Joseph as an example of charity and mercy for his care of Mary and the child God entrusted to him.

Speaking to pilgrims during his Dec. 21 Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square, the pope offered a special greeting to young people, noting that many had come “for the blessing of the figurines of the Child Jesus, which you will place in the mangers in your homes, schools and parish community centers.”

“I cordially bless all the bambinelli,” he said, using the Italian word for the statues of the baby Jesus.

He told children that as they stand before the nativity scenes in their homes, schools, and parishes, to “please pray to Jesus for the Pope’s intentions as well.”

“Let us pray together that all the world’s children may live in peace,” and offered his blessing.

It is customary for the pope during Advent to bless the bambinelli statues during one of his Sunday Angelus addresses during the season. Though the blessing typically happens on the third Sunday of Advent, “Gaudete” Sunday, dedicated to the joy of anticipating the commemoration of Christ’s birth, this year the blessing occurred on the fourth and final Sunday of Advent.

Pope Leo in his address prior to blessing the statues reflected on the figure of Saint Joseph and on the passage in scripture when God reveals his plan to Joseph in a dream, asking him not to divorce Mary quietly has he had planned when he found out she was pregnant, but to marry her and raise Jesus as his own.

He noted that Joseph in scripture was called a “pious man,” but in addition to this, “Joseph of Nazareth also strikes us as someone who is keenly sensitive and human.”

“When Joseph is faced with a situation that is difficult to understand and accept, with regard to his future bride,” having found out she was pregnant even though they had not yet had relations, “he does not choose the path of scandal and public condemnation, but the discreet and benevolent path of secret repudiation,” the pope said.

By doing this, he said, Joseph demonstrates “that he understands the deepest meaning of his own religious observance: The meaning of mercy.”

“The purity and nobility of his sentiments, however, become even more evident when the Lord, in a dream, reveals his plan of salvation to him, indicating the unexpected role that he must take up as the spouse of the Virgin Mother of the Messiah,” he said.

When God appeared in the dream, Joseph did not question or hesitate, but with a leap of faith left his last ounce of security behind and followed God’s instructions, trusting completely in his plan, Leo said.

“Piety and charity, mercy and abandonment: These are the virtues of the man from Nazareth that today’s liturgy shows us, so that they may accompany us in these last days of Advent, towards Christmas,” he said.

The pope said these virtues are important for all believers which teach them how to see Christ in those around them, and to be a welcome and hospitable sign of God’s presence.

“In this time of grace, let us not waste the opportunity to practice them: forgiving, encouraging, giving a little hope to those with whom we live and those we meet; and renewing in prayer our filial abandonment to the Lord and his providence, entrusting everything to him with confidence,” he said.

With the Advent season drawing to a close, Leo is preparing to celebrate his first Christmas as the Successor of Peter.

His Christmas commitments include a vigil Mass on Christmas Eve; Mass and the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing on Christmas day; and an Angelus address on Dec. 26, known as “Boxing Day.”

Leo will usher in the new year with a New Year’s Eve Vespers service Dec. 31; Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on Jan. 1; and Mass for the feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6.

This Christmas marks the official end of the Jubilee of Hope, opened by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024.

Holy doors in the other three papal basilicas in Rome – Saint Mary Major, Saint John Lateran, and Saint Paul Outside the Wall – will be closed in the days surrounding Christmas, while Leo will officially conclude the jubilee year by closing the holy door in St. Peter’s Basilica during his Jan. 6, 2026, Mass for the Epiphany.

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