Pope Francis wished courage and warmth for the world in his Christmas Eve mass homily, as God is stronger than “darkness and corruption.” He also made a phone call to Iraqi refugees who fled ISIS violence, saying that they are “like Jesus” on this night.

“Through the course of history, the light that shatters the darkness reveals to us that God is Father and that his patient fidelity is stronger than darkness and corruption,” said the pontiff, leading a mass for thousands of Catholics in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican.