Pope Francis is set to deliver his second annual Christmas blessing to thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square and many more watching from around the world.
The pope led a solemn Christmas Eve Mass Wednesday night at St. Peter's Basilica where he called on the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics to remember that God's message of peace "is stronger than darkness and corruption."
Before the service, Pope Francis spoke by telephone with Christian refugees in northern Iraq who fled from Islamic State militants. He told them: "You are like Jesus on Christmas night. There was no room for him either, and he had to flee to Egypt later to save himself."