the Curia

ローマ法王が即位後、初のクリスマスイブのミサを行い、「愛と許し」のメッセージを世界中に発信しました。the Curiaは「ローマ教皇庁」のこと。念のため。（UG）

Pope at Christmas Eve Mass: 'Do not be afraid'

Nine months into his papacy, much has been made of the Pope's reforms, among them more scrutiny at the Vatican bank, changes to the church's bureaucratic structure, and a commission to deal with the abuse of minors.

And while this year's Christmas liturgy remains the same, experts say we should expect the unexpected.

"He tends to be a surprise, because he does things that are normal, but are very abnormal in terms of the papacy," said Gerard O'Connell, a Vatican analyst. "He brought three homeless men into where he is living to have breakfast with him on his birthday. ... I suspect we will see something else again over the Christmas period."

The festivities began on Saturday, with the Pope's Christmas message to the Curia. He urged the church's governing body to avoid gossip and to focus on service.

And then he practiced what he preached, spending three hours at a local hospital bringing Christmas cheer to sick children.

There were a record number of requests to attend this year's Christmas Eve Mass.
On Christmas Day, tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected to flood St. Peter's Square to hear his message to the world.

"People are listening to him, because he's speaking in a language that's not Vaticanese," O'Connell said. "He's speaking the language of ordinary people."

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/24/world/europe/pope-christmas/index.html?hpt=hp_t1