( CNN ) -- As Christmas Eve became Christmas Day around the world , services and celebrations marked the holiday . At Vatican City on Friday night , Catholic worshippers packed pews inside St. Peter 's Basilica to hear Pope Benedict XVI deliver Midnight Mass . He prayed to God for peace . `` Grant us the grace of true brotherhood . Help us to become like you . Help us to recognize your face in others who need our assistance , '' he said . `` And help us to live together with you as brothers and sisters so as to become one family -- your family . '' Celebrants , both young and old , watched in reverence as the choir serenaded the pontiff during his ceremonial march into the church . He was led into St. Peter 's for Christmas Eve services by 30 cardinals , a tradition that was started by Pope John Paul II . Bells rang out during the Holy Eucharistic , with chimes that could be heard inside the church as well as throughout Vatican City . In 2009 , Midnight Mass was interrupted when 25-year-old Susanna Maiolo jumped a barrier and knocked the pontiff down . She had tried to get to the pontiff on Christmas Eve in 2008 , but was detained , Vatican spokesman the Rev . Federico Lombardi said . Christmas Eve Mass was held at 10 p.m last year , so the pope , who was 82 years old at the time , would be well-rested for Christmas Day services . Thousands converged Friday on Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas in the town where Jesus is believed to have been born , joining the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem , Fouad Twal , and a Roman Catholic archbishop for Midnight Mass . Twal , the highest-ranking Catholic cleric in the Holy Land , led a procession of priests and believers to the Church of the Nativity for the traditional service . Pilgrims , many of whom visit the city every year at this time , packed Manger Square outside the church in anticipation of the patriarch 's arrival . `` When we come , we are saying not only , yes Jesus , we are here ; we are all Christian , we are all brothers , '' one tourist in the crowd outside the Nativity Church told CNN . Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas , Muslims , traveled to Bethlehem to attend the Mass . At least 90,000 tourists are expected to visit the city by the end of the Christmas season , according to Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh . The city is near the high wall that forms part of Israel 's West Bank barrier . In 1948 , Christians represented 80 % of the Bethlehem 's population , that number is now just 35 % . Inside Beijing 's Immaculate Conception Cathedral , more than 1,000 Chinese parishioners gathered to say Mass on Friday . The ceremony was heralded by hymns and Christmas carols , and was led by a young priest who asked the congregation to `` pray for the holy father , Pope Benedict XVI , and the Chinese bishops . '' It 's a stark change from the 1960s and '70s , when religion was suppressed in China . Now , the sights and sounds of Christmas are all around , making it one of the biggest commercial holiday seasons in Chinese cities . While many Chinese are taking advantage of the lucrative side of the season , others are searching for the meaning of Christmas . `` My parents are Catholic , '' said 19-year-old Joseph Min . He said many youths are lost in the nation 's `` wave of social changes , '' but many are `` seeking a kind of religion or philosophy in life . '' China has become home to more than 6 million Catholics , according to a report approved at the eighth National Congress of Chinese Catholics in early December , the China Daily said . Beijing and the Vatican severed diplomatic ties in 1951 , but efforts are reportedly under way to reconcile their differences . CNN 's Paula Hancock and Jaime FlorCruz contributed to this report .
The pope calls for peace . In China , thousands flock to the place where Jesus is believed to have been born . Parishioners gather in China to have Christmas together .