Pope Francis urges ‘tenderness’

Pope Francis urged the world to accept “tenderness” in his Christmas Eve mass Wednesday night at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Francis, who is set to visit the United States in 2015, urged Catholics to accept God’s message of peace.

{mosads}“Do we have the courage to welcome with tenderness the difficulties and problems of those who are near to us,” he asked. “How much the world needs tenderness today.”

This is Pope Francis’s second Christmas season after his election in 2013 as the first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years.

Since taking over, Francis has made it clear he intends to reform the church, which has been troubled by accusations of corruption. He has also sought to make the church more open to gays and lesbians while focusing on the need to help the poor.

Francis will give a Christmas Day address from the Vatican on Thursday.

Before the Christmas Eve mass, he called Christian refugees in Iraq to help them celebrate the holiday. The refugees had fled fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria who have persecuted those who do not follow their brand of Islam.