ROME — Pope Francis concluded a hectic Christmas period on Monday with a call for believers to foster a culture of acceptance and inclusion within their communities while rejecting all forms of discrimination.
During a Mass held in St. Peter’s Basilica in celebration of the Epiphany, he reflected on the biblical event in which three wise men, guided by a star, journeyed to honor the infant Jesus. He emphasized that just as the star leads humanity towards the divine, it does so without regard to ethnicity, language, or nationality, underscoring its universal nature.
In his homily, Francis reminded the congregation of today’s pressing need for reflection: “In a world where individuals and nations have access to increasingly powerful communication tools, it is disheartening to see diminishing willingness to embrace, understand, and meet others in their uniqueness.”
He urged Christians to oppose exclusionary practices and to discard attitudes that perpetuate division. Instead, he advocated for nurturing “a robust culture of welcome, where the constricted realms of fear and condemnation give way to broad spaces of interaction, integration, and the sharing of life; environments where everyone can seek and obtain warmth and refuge.”
The pope has consistently emphasized the importance of welcoming strangers, particularly in relation to the plight of migrants, as a core tenet of the Gospel.
The Epiphany Mass also signified the conclusion of a particularly eventful Christmas season for Francis, coinciding with the lead-up to the Holy Year of 2025—an event anticipated to attract over 30 million pilgrims to Rome in the coming year.
At 88 years old, the pope faces a demanding schedule as he prepares to engage with these visitors, in addition to fulfilling his regular papal responsibilities. Even as he wraps up the Christmas festivities with the Epiphany, a busy week lies ahead; Francis will deliver his annual foreign policy address to the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, hold a final meeting with President Joe Biden, and officiate the baptism of infants in the esteemed Sistine Chapel.
