On Christmas Eve on Thursday, the pope spoke of what the holiday is all about and how the Christmas story calls all Christians to act toward their fellow man.

This is an excerpt from the Huffington Post about the speech.

“‘[Jesus] calls us to act soberly, in other words, in a way that is simple, balanced, consistent, capable of seeing and doing what is essential.’

Referring to Jesus’ birth in a Bethlehem stable, the pope said the child was ‘born into the poverty of this world; there was no room in the inn for him and his family.’

Francis also sounded a cry to right injustices. ‘In a world which all too often is merciless to the sinner and lenient to the sin, we need to cultivate a strong sense of justice,’ he said.”

Pope Francis has become a very popular pope since his election in 2013 by making very progressive remarks and helping to shed the dark perception of the Catholic pope in recent years.