Pope Francis to lead Dec. 15 Aguinaldo Mass at Vatican

For the first time, a pope would be celebrating the traditional Aguinaldo Mass for Filipinos at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

According to a CBCP News report, Pope Francis would lead the December 15 Aguinaldo Mass, which he would concelebrate with about 150 other priests at 4:30 p.m.

“This is the fourth year that we celebrate it in the basilica but the first time that the Pope will be the one to preside,” said Fr. Ricky Gente of the Filipino Chaplaincy in Rome.

Only 7,500 churchgoers would be allowed to enter the basilica due to its limited seating capacity.

“We have thousands of Filipinos who requested entry but we are not allowed to go beyond that,” Fr. Gente explained.

The rest of the Aguinaldo Masses would be held at the Santa Pudenziana Basilica, which was designated as the official church of Filipinos by the late Pope John Paul II.

On Thursday, the Vatican also unveiled its model of the nativity scene and lit the 85-foot tall Christmas Tree in St. Peter’s Square.

“It is a genuine way of communicating the gospel in a world that sometimes seems to be afraid to remember what Christmas really is,” Pope Francis said during the ceremony. — Julia Mari Ornedo/DVM, GMA News