In the Vatican City Pope John Paul hailed the feast on Christmas in St. Peter's Basilica with a plea for the victims of cruelty and injustice. Celebrating his first Christmas as Pope, John Paul also called for all Christians to think of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem two thousand years ago.

SYNOPSIS: The glittering midnight mass was the first one the new pope had held in St. Peter's Basilica since his election in mid October. Pope John Paul the first never had a chance to celebrate mass there during his brief time on the throne of St. Peter.

Despite heavy overnight rains in rome, the Christmas Day service at the Basilica was packed with diplomats, politicians, priests, tourists and Romans. The Pope told them that there was still much wrong with the world. He asked the congregation to think of all the human beings who fall victim to man's inhumanity, to cruelty, to lack of any respect. He continued his theme in the traditional Christmas Day Urbi Et Orbi blessing...to Rome and the world. Before a crowd of fifty thousand in St. Peter's Square the pontiff appealed to all governments and people to ensure that human life was not only respected but was to become ever more worthy of man. Then, the Pope delivered Christmas greetings in twenty four languages as the crowd applauded. He ended, as he began, in Italian and again he said a merry Christmas.