2023 Christmas schedule at St Peter's.

Pope Francis will celebrate the 'Midnight Mass' at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Christmas Eve at 19.30.

Despite its name, the Christmas Eve Mass has not been celebrated at midnight at the Vatican since 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI moved it to 22.00.

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In 2013 the newly-elected Pope Francis moved the Midnight Mass to 21.30 before bringing it forward to 19.30 three years ago to allow the faithful to get home in time for the covid curfew then in force in Italy.

On Christmas Day 2023 the pontiff will impart his traditional Christmas blessing Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) at midday from the balcony above St Peter's Square.

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Both the Midnight Mass and the Urbi et Orbi blessing will be live-streamed on the YouTube channel of Vatican Media.

For details of the pope's 2023 liturgical programme see the Vatican website.

Photo credit: Riccardo De Luca - Update / Shutterstock.com.