Kochi

The ceremonial midnight mass on Christmas was held at St. Thomas, headquarters of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kochi with only a limited number of people to curb the transmission of COVID-19 infection.

The midnight mass was led by Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church. The Major Archbishop delivered a Christmas message to the people.

"There are still people today who work for the plans of evil. The world is full of stories of men who are planning ugly projects. We need to beware of such people. There are still human beings among us who are cruelly replacing the world that begs for truth, justice, love, and mercy. That is when conflicts and wars arise in the world and personal animosities and hatreds arise in the society," he said.

"Unrest and division are rampant in society. The Savior called on the world to stand up for good, for this conflict, for this struggle between good and evil. We celebrate the birth of that Savior. The unsettled family, church, and community do not belong to Christ," he added.

Kerala has not imposed any restrictions on Christmas celebrations. The church was beautifully decorated in hues of green and red.

Midnight mass was held at several churches in Goa, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, West Bengal, Karnataka following COVID protocols.