Pope Francis on Thursday night urged those taken in by material possessions to return to the essential values of life, Reuters reported. The Pope, in his Christmas Eve mass, called for people to “act soberly” and “discover who we are”. He said that in a “culture of indifference”, people’s lives should be devout, filled with empathy, compassion, and mercy.

One of his senior cardinals, Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, spoke about the suffering of persecuted Christians around the world, and violence at home. The Guardian reported that neither mentioned the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe and the Mideast.

Tight security surrounded the service in St Peter’s Basilica, attended by around 10,000 people. Pope Francis has been calling for less judgment within the Church, while not affecting its fundamental doctrines. He has caused controversy among conservatives with his more lenient approach towards homosexuals and those divorced and remarried.