for pope francis, the road to this christmas eve began almost a half century ago. >> reporter: francis' journey goes back to 1969 when he was ordained as a jesuit priest. he became archbishop of buenos aires in 1998. his hallmark was service and humility. pope john paul ii appointed him a cardinal. and after more than a decade on march the 13th, 2013, he was elected to lead the world's estimated 1.2 billion catholics and installed as pope six days later. >> this is the greatness of the man, i think, that he knows who he is. he knows what his responsibility is. >> reporter: this cardinal is the former archbishop in washington, d.c. he says he is handling the job well. >> it doesn't crush him, because he knows he's going to carry it with jesus. and he knows the people out there, and his job is to help them. >> reporter: becoming pope was only one of many significant firsts for the new pontiff. >> he is the first pope from latin america. the first pope from outside europe in 1300 years. and of course he is the first pope to utter the word gay. >> so we have the first jesuit pope. it seems

this is pope francis. you love everybody. >> the pope's comments drew a mixture of praise and criticism among catholics. crit sicks thought francis didn't go far enough. church doctrine remains the same, engaging in homosexuality is a sin and intrins i cannily disorder. his predecessors both talked tough on the gay issue. here's benedict xvi. >> father, mother, child essential elements of the experience of being human are lost. >> benedict had a certain charisma, but it was the charisma of a university professor that you respected whereas francis is the uncle you want to run up to and hug. francis is the kind of pope we need at this moment. someone who's gentler, somebody who's more open. he's not going to change doctrine but he's going to preach it differently. >> so as we've been saying, this is a pope who talks the talk and walks the walk in many ways but is he going to change the church substantially? that question moving forward, senior vatican analyst john allen joins me again. john, just last month,

francis did. he has put together a council of eight bishops, he is not living the pop lifestyle, he's putting the gospel back at the heart of what the church teaches and preaches and i think that's a very powerful thing. i think it's theng. i think this pope like many popes he understands how to use visuals and images. but this is a man who when he was archbishop of buenos aires, he has talked about a culture of going out into the street this is a lot of substance not just a pr campaign. >> a lot of americans are intreasing this, it's -- intreasin embracing this. how close are local catholics to the church? >> i think it's a really good point because the church in the united states sometimes we think that as americans we're the only show around. but the pope has to be concerned about the entire church. and so his pastoral embrace is not just for us but for the whole world. and i think that part of the -- when we get into some of the political and progressive conservative right and left categories,

pope francis' first christmas as pope. and i'd like to bring in besh on o'connell and father beck who have been joining me throughout this special. we're going to watch a little bit of the process of this mass, but can you explain, bishop o'connell, what is it that we're watching here? >> the pope is blessing the congregation with the book of the gospels. and the gospels in our belief the very words of christ. so there is a great deal of reverence that is paid, the pope kissed the book. he's taking that word, and he's kissing and showing reverence, and then he's using that word, lifting that word up and blessing the people with it. that book is a very symbolic and important thing in the liturgy. >> and father beck, the people who are in the church, who are in st. peter's basilica, what are they waiting for? what is the key moment of this mass? >> well, as you can see there, brianna, they've just put that gospel book, which is a reproduction of a 15th century book of gospels by the baby jesus. that is the prelude to the rea

to cross out pope francis i'm joined by my guest jamila bey in washington she's a journalist and public speaker also in washington we have a one hundred chef when he is the president of the at was economic research foundation and in madison we cross to scott rickard he is an expert on catholicism as well as the executive editor of chronicles a magazine of american culture all right crosstalk rules and in fact that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage encourage it one hundred in washington per person of the year well deserved yes for sure few people have such respect as the pope. the catholic church still has so much kristie just so much influence around and around the globe so i'm a middle aged ok jamil are you elated that pope francis is time magazine's person of the year. it is despairing despairing to me that i've got to support miley cyrus pope francis is a choice for person of the year was absolutely wrong in every measure from time magazine this pope as you put it in your intro so aptly earlier is a product of p.r. he's not this major reformer who's com

. >> pope francis delivers his first christmas address. three cap and members reside over a corruption scandal. -- cap members resign over a corruption scandal. spiraling violence in south sudan. -- cabinet members resign over a corruption scandal. a better world is what probe frances called for today in his first christmas blessing since taken over as head of the catholic church. he delivered the address. he strayed from his prepared speech inviting nonbelievers to join in the prayer for peace. tens of thousands of catholics flocked to the vatican to receive the blessings. >> four hours, they waved at st. peter's square. the pope appeared on the balcony. faithful from all of the world gave him a welcome. thousands have come to rome many from his nature -- native argentina. in his christian address, he repeated his message of concern for the world's poor and weak. as he celebrated the birth of christ, he expressed his wish for joy and peace. >> for the children and in the old people and families, the poor and marginalized. >> pope francis

pope francis, putting a new, open face to the catholic church. martin fletcher, nbc news, rome. >>> tonight, president obama is spending christmas in hawaii where he is on a family vacation, but it is a working vacation, as the president monitors a big deadline that just passed for the health care law. our white house correspondent is traveling with the president and joans us now from honolulu. good evening. >> reporter: merry christmas to you. the white house is celebrating what could be a last minute gift of obamacare enrollments for coverage. beginning january 1, a record number of visits to the health care.gov website this week. but if people can show they missed yesterday's deadline it's adding to confusion. today in their annual christmas message, the president and the first lady urged americans to remember troops serving far from home. this afternoon they were visiting with service members and their families at a nearby base. another story is getting attention, that of edward snowden. today snowden aired comments since he went to russia th

very interesting what we've heard already in this program is that i mean it may be very possible that francis is a p.r. product and you know he's very appealing to a lot of people i mean even i look at the pictures of him embracing a man with severe disfigurement i mean any person who has compassion can say that's a good person doing that as opposed to kind of where is the catholic church because it looks like you can easily separate the two go ahead scott. it's certainly he certainly is appealing the the the idea though that that he was ever going to come in and change the catholic church in the way that that i think. or some of the editors of time might want. was was wrong from the from the beginning what what he has brought to the catholic church is a change in tone a change in emphasis the time article does pick up on that but it also expresses the sort of hope and expectation that there is going to be some sort of more fundamental change doctrinal changes moral changes these aren't going to come about the catholic church. is a two thousand year old institution that understands. what the

. >>> choosing light over darkness that is the message from pope francis tonight. he conducted his first christmas eve mass at the vatican. >>> major realtors decided to offer deals today. this comes after a three-week slump. >>> and target said the debit and credit card information being hack and now those customers are getting scam emails. >>> and the cost of a stamp is coming up. a letter will now cost $0.45 to mail. those are the headlines. i'm tony harris. "consider this" is next on al jazeera america. ♪ >>> americans showed resilience this year in the face of tornados, wildfires, floods and the aftermath of hurricane sandy. consider this after a year filled with terrible natural disasters, how are those affected getting their lives back together? also for the first time in close to 600 years a pope stepped down, as the appointment of pope francis reinvigorated the catholic church. and dr. wendy walsh is here to tell us how to avoid the holiday blues. and if you think of classics like it's a wonderful life and miracle of 34th street, we'll talk about some of

francis said to him, pray for me. tonight, it was pope francis in the splendor of the basilica, leading the catholic world in prayer. as for the new year, he has already served notice that it may be a time of change. he has brought in outside analysts like mckenzie and ernt and young to recommend ways to improve the running of the catholic church. tamron? >> martin fletcher, thank you. >>> up next, one man's unusual find in a taxi's back seat and what he did next that is getting a lot of attention. >>> some good news tonight for all the kids out there. the folks at norad are keeping close track on santa, and they're reporting he is well on his way around the world, and that he has already delivered billions of presents. they say he should be making his way to this country in just a few hours, but not before all good little girls and boys go to bed. in fact, this afternoon, first lady michelle obama took time to answer questions from some lucky kids calling the norad santa tracker hot line. >>> and before santa took of

francis for the first time. which is clearly a signal that he wants to show a different face of the church, face of the poor. >> reporter: his first words were casual, conversational. >> buona sera. >> reporter: the first sign of a new day at the vatican. >> i would like to give a blessing, but first, do me a favor -- >> reporter: that favor, a pope asking the people to pray for him. >> it was an incredible moment, because we all had our list of the people who were likely to be pope and he wasn't on any of them. suddenly here's this argentinian who was really of a completely different mold. and it signaled that the college of cardinals had come to a decision that they really wanted a different kind of pope. >> reporter: and with that first humble greeting, pope francis captured hearts. down in the crowds, reaching out to those most in need, living simply. he's leading by example. >> i think he's working very honestly and simply to transmit his humility to the world. >> i think he's very true to what the church s

on the other hand francis objected to women becoming priests saying . . . so is this all an indication that there are policy changes coming or just a change in the church's tone? >> well, i think it's a decided change in the church's tone, which is a change. i think it's very important to see that even a change in the church's tone signifies a new way of talking to people which will change the way people see the church. all you need to do is ask gays and lesbians for their reaction. the gay and lesbian advocate magazine just named him person of the year. >> time magazine as you say named him person of the year, and . . . should they have hope? is he a doctrine of old traditionals who won't change up, or is he a true reformer? >> he is not going to change church doctrine. he is not going to say there is no trinity or jesus didn't rise from the dead or something like that. but i think the fact that he is shaking things up shows that the holy spirit does what the holy spirit wants to do, and we're seeing the spirit at work as people are seeing that and listeni

now it's about pope francis with his simple garments. he's been trying to focus the catholic church on helping the disenfranchised and the poor. the holy roman emperor does have new clothes and reflect the people's pope. >> interesting stuff. in just a few days, people in colorado can smoke, buy and grow marijuana legally while others in neighboring states, if they try to do just that could get arrested. is colorado ready? that's next. especially today, as people are looking for more low, and no calorie options. that's why on vending machines, we're making it easy for people to know how many calories are in their favorite beverages, before they choose. and we're offering more low calorie options, including over 70 in our innovative coca-cola free-style dispensers. working with our beverage industry and restaurant partners, we're helping provide choices that make sense for everyone. because when people come together, good things happen. >>> phil robertson is returning to "duck dynasty" nine days after a & e banned him for controversial co

we want to make sure that pope francis stops by. but it's something that both of us will never forget, that simple moment. >> very fair to say. >> josh is still josh in st. peter's square. >> yeah. >> the back stories i could tell you two. >> it all worked out in the end. it all worked out in the end. >> go to "gma" on yahoo! for the back story. >> thanks, guys. we're going to have a lot more from vatican city. >>> now, weather from ginger zee. >> we have to see what the roads looked like. it was a mess. look at this video from boston. they had record snow, more than 6 inches, actually 6.4, making the commute a disaster on the roads, as well as downtown and outside of it. much of new england dealing with that. now, that storm pulls away. and it's the cold behind. it's 18 feels like in pittsburgh. 15 in detroit. feels like just below freezing in washington, d.c. you know that chill is starting to moderate as we go to the end of the week. we were talking about 50s yesterday. and the other big story. amy gave you an update on the fire.

pope francis would probably have preferred to hold in the a stable. in a recent speech, francis pointed out mary and joseph were homeless when jesus was born and made a plea to do everything possible to assure that every family has a place to live. francis never misses a chance to hammer home his new mission for a church that places the poor at its center. in his first message to vatican clerics who are known for backbiting and power struggles he called for professionalism and a devotion to service and urged them to reject what he called an unwritten law of our surroundings which unfortunately is that of gossip. not everyone. in the vatican is happy with the poorer church for the poor but they are in a minority according to archbishop vincenzo paglia. >> the strength of his witness is really most strong than every opposition. >> reporter: is to people against him don't have any chance? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: pope francis is basically as conservative as his predecessors but he has made startling moves including swapping an arch conservative ca

and that's who elected the new francis. but i do think that they probably got more than they expected. >> have you read the exhortation that allegedly he wrote himself? >> yes, and i think he did write it himself. >> what struck you about it? >> the most beautiful things about it are very, very simple, you know, where he says things like, "we the evangelizers should have on us the smell of the sheep." and then he says, "our shoes should be muddy." >> and what do you make of that? >> well, it doesn't sound like papal shoes to me, you know? there's a papal cobbler, for god's sake. you know, this guy is -- and he's cutting through many things, as many as he possibly can. >> how do you explain that? >> well, he's not interested in a severely narrow church. >> like john xxiii in the '60s who wanted to raise the windows of the church. >> yes. and let in some fresh air. >> pope francis is being pummeled, as you know, by many conservatives. rush limbaugh says, "he's spouting pure marxism." and there's a headline on foxnews.com that

when we come back, pope francis, the economist? time magazine's man of the year, angers some conservatives with his recent writings on inequality. our panel joins the fray next. i'm overhe hill. my body doesn't work the way it used to. past my prime? i'm a victim of a slowin? i don't think so. great grains protein blend. protein from natural ingredients like seeds and nuts. it helps support a healthy metabolism. great grains protein blend. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. us, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance

what a remarkable year it's been with pope francis and the pope francis effect. his humanity has touched people the world over, not just catholics, and has made him an internet sensation, among other things. how do you describe this francis effect on the church, and as i say, on humanity more broadly? >> all i know, david, i thank god for it, that's for sure, and i see it every day. i can't walk down the streets of new york, which i do a lot, without people stopping me and saying, cardinal, i'm not even a catholic, i'm not even a believer, but i love pope francis and thanks a lot for voting for him. because they love him. you put the finger on it when you spoke about his humanity. his sincerity, his complicity, his generosity, his hilarity. i think jesus is coming to us as catholics and humanity of the world through pope francis. >> the church doctrine remains the same, but you have described it as a change of tone. >> i would say a change of tone, a change of strategy. a pope by his nature cannot make doctrinal changes. he can make a lot of changes in the way, t

when we come back, pope francis, the economist? "time" magazine's man of the year angers some conservatives with his recent writings on inequality. our panel joins the fray next. you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. >>> well, he's "time" magazine's man of the year. little doubt pope francis has captured the imaginations of catholics and noncath lolics alike. his denunciation of so-called trickle down economics isn't sitting well with many economic conservatives. we're back with our guests. we've got the all catholic panel here. so your theology's in order. what do we think about the impact? the larger impact and impression that pope francis has made? >> as catholics, that means we all speak latin. the title of this letter means the joy of the gospel, not the joy of economics. pope's always been concerned really w

thanks, francis. still to come, how one man's good deed landed him >>> more than a year after super storm's sandy's devastating impact on the eastern seaboard, one new yorker has a reason to celebrate. landscaper marvin martinez found a winning scratch off lottery ticket while cleaning up debris. by new york lottery rules he had to wait a year to claim his prize and yesterday was his day to claim the cash payout. he walked away with $779,000. >> if off new smartphone or tablet are this christmas, you will probably be spending time downloading a bunch of new apps. katie marzullo, abc news, has one idea to keep you connected all year long. go to abc7news.com/app for details. up next, the lost art of tinkering. and hold your horses, literally. the surprise some people were in while they were out for a while they were out for a morning stroll in burbank. to those who've been denied equal access to health care... welcome to covered california. now, you can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-exis

reporter alphonso >>> hope francis has prayed for peace as the leader of the catholic church. reporter is in rome where people say they are taking that message to heart. >> reporter: catholics cheered as pope francis gave first message. >> dear brothers and sisters throughout the morning, merry christmas. >> called for an end to violence around the world. >> help us to be peacemakers each day in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations in the whole world. >> andrew is a catholic. but he liked what pope francis had to say. >> his message is compassion and love and understanding. and those are principles that can be found in all major religions. >> they are putting the pope message into practice. >> volunteers with the community host a free christmas dinner for the elderly and homeless. he's been serving here since he was 14 years old. he's seen a big difference since pope francis became pontiff. >> and this is really one of the great treatment of the words of this pope. >> on this day, these volunteers are heeding his call to care for others humbly. >> pope francis

the best thing for the future of our country more on that with my pfaff and tonio just a moment also francis the first is the most progressive open generation so how are conservative american catholics reacting to the man some people are calling the pope of the poor and today's republican party resembles a group of street thugs more than it does the party of barry goldwater i'll tell you why and how i deal with. getting you know this there's a lot of news today but there is one consistent thread that runs through it all and that's the republican agenda to make america a poorer and more violent country although it's now been almost two years since the newtown massacre the gun control movement is still fighting an uphill battle one hundred nine done different gun laws have been passed by state legislatures across the country since december fourteenth two thousand and twelve. thirty nine of them have tightened gun restrictions and made it harder for people like the newtown killer to get weapons of war but seventy of those hundred nine laws have loosened gun restrictions and of those seventy fou

francis of assisi. he chose the name of st. francis. these are two people who became poor. jesus left heaven, left divinity to become one of us, and francis, of course, was a very wealthy sob of an aristocrat, a merchant in assisi who left all of that and became poor. francis is saying we need to get more simple. we need to get more -- to kind of shed some of these -- all this possessions. all this stuff in our life. you bet we need some. >> the church also has a lot of stuff. >> yeah. >> and it has a lot of faith. >> yeah. >> is he -- >> by the way, i want that red sweater. >> right now? >> that's the stuff i want. >> all right. is the church changing, not the message, not the pope, the church? >> it is, yes, it is. i think he wants it leaner. he wants it simpler. he's saying let's not stress the superficiality. let's not get caught up in the purple churchiness about bishops and honors and all this fancy stuff. let's get back to that gospel and the baby in the crib. let get back to the message of jesus. that's what the church saul about. >> there are people in the church w

pope francis named time magazine's person of the year as a side of the church's influence or just good p.r. that's the issue for debate with people of ellen cross-talk coming your way in just a second. this is the media leave us so we leave that maybe. by the sea pushes secure. your party there's a goal. for shoes that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all politics only on our team. confident that the irish people won't be asking it down to stab in the jail where the private banks are any cause some staffer hopkins pleasure to be found now economically and what always happens is. central bankers politicians they say this will never ever happen again and it keeps on happening but what we have to ensure is that if company. doesn't such a classic place to make costs for tots slave. is on a journey to structure. one hundred twenty three days. through to some other town two cities of russia. relate fourteen thousand people or sixty thousand killing. in a record setting trip. air. space. the torch relay. on our t.v. our cool. little. hello and welcome across

pope francis became the first pontiff to be chosen by latin america. his humble and easy going manner has won him popularity during the first nine months of his papacy. the u.s. magazine "time" selected pope francis as its person of the year for 2013. >>> and that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. >> pope francis delivered his first christmas day address from the central balcony of st. peters basilica in front of tens of thousands of tourists and children. he said he was joining in the song of christmas angels with all those hoping for a better world. for his first address, pope francis, who has been named person of the year by "time" magazine, called for peace across the world and spoke more particularly of syria and the central african republic. >> grant peace to the central african republic, often forgotten and overlooked. yet

francis said to him, pray for me. ♪ but tonight it was pope francis in the splendor of the basilica leading the catholic world in prayer. >> that was nbc's martin fletcher reporting. >>> just ahead in sports, all your nba match-ups for christmas day, plus will some nfl favorites be back on the field for the final games of the regular season? we'll tell you. >>> you know it wouldn't be christmas without families, santa claus, and, of course, ugly sweaters. crafters jessica is at the forefront of this tacky holiday tradition. actually for the past five years she's gotten in the christmas spirit by creating some of the most wonderfully ugly sweaters in the world. word of her festive apparel has spread and she offers her tinseled and pom-pom one of a kind works of art online. you're lucky if you get one of those, not. >>> let's get the latest in sports. will aaron rodgers take the field following his collar bone injury? he told the press gazette a decision will come on thursday and it all depends on whether he is medically in the clear. >>> tony romo is still recuperating from a back injury in

pope francis attacked unfettered capitalism as a new tyranny. he beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality. this is just pure marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope. there's no such unfettered capitalism that doesn't exist anywhere. >> the pope responded with his characteristic good will. asked by an italian newspaper about how he felt about being called a marxist by ultraconservatives in the u.s., france says the marxist ideology is wrong, but i have met many markists in my life who are good people, so i don't feel offended. anthea, you brought up rush earlier. the interesting thing about calling the pope a marxist, besides the fact it probably isn't a good idea to go after the lord, is there actually is a history to marxism in the latin-american church that kind of relates a little bit to pope francis. can you explain? >> we talk about liberation theology. i want to go back to a father who talked about the preferential option for poor. and later in the early '70s, what you have is this whole lifting out of that to c

earlier this week, pope francis visited with his predecessor who resigned in february. people come from around the world to be part of his first christmas as pope and those that couldn't get inside the basilica have gathered here at st. peters square. this boston resident brought her daughter here. >> what he believes in and the barriers he's breaking, it's just something i want to believe in again. >> reporter: pope francis has built a reputation for doing things his own way. but this christmas eve, the catholic church's newest pontiff kept with the traditions carried out for hundreds of years. alphonso van marsh, the vatican. >>> thousands of troops are far away from home. in afghanistan, they sang hymns and prayed. in the u.s., about a half million families are still in the dark this christmas. the power is down for customers from michigan to maine and into canada this morning. the weekend ice storm knocked out electricity. repair crews are working around the clock to turn the lights on, but utilities say it could take a couple more days to restore power. it forced s

okay, best politician, pat. >> the president of iran. >> i would give it to pope francis. he loves people, and that really is a key ingredient if you're going to be a politician. >> are you stuck in that track or what? >> pope francis. >> he deserves all the things we can give him. >> hillary clinton who kept herself out of the dispute of obama care and therefore preserved all that she needs for the next presidential campaign. >> well, i would give it to governor chris christie for walking a tight rope if he doesn't get down by a bridge scandal bit end of the year. >> excellent, pat. clarence. >> best politician is vladimir putin, taking ukraine from the west, took over the syrian crisis away from obama. no other statesman played so definitely in 2013. okay, worse politician, pat. >> mayor rob ford of toronto probably. and the silver goes to anthony weiner, your friend. [ laughter ] >> pat, i have to agree with you on that, but i would add ted cruz on his list. as his short year of the senator, he managed to offend all the republicans in the senate, which is really tough b

americans are about pope francis. a brand new cnn poll shows more than 70% approve of the pope and among american catholics pope francis' approval rating is almost he 90%. we go to rome and easy to see why this pope is so popular. >> reporter: it is, carol. there's a real sense of excitement here in rome. thousands of pilgrims and tourists are in town to celebrate. final preparations are under way for the christmas eve mass and all eyes are on pope francis. the tree is trimmed. the nativity scene is set to be unveiled. everyone seems excited for the pope's very first christmas. >> we want to share this special moment with a person who is beloved person and we appreciate all he's doing. >> reporter: nine months into his papacy much has been made of the pope's reforms. more scrutiny at the vatican bank. changes to the church's bureaucratic structure and a commission to deal with the abuse of minors to name a few. >> it tends to be a surprise because he does things that are normal but are very abnormal in terms of the pa

pope francis is bringing the church back to its roots, some say. cruz is pushing the republican party to the fringe. will this recognition embolden some called rogues like cruz? >> well, you know, it's really hard to have a serious conversation when you're mentioning ted cruz and pope francis in the same breath. you know -- >> i want you to have a serious conversation. >> i know. >> because he is on the front page of "time." >> that's what i'm trying to do here. and when you talk about who had the most impact this year, what you're measuring is positive impact, pope francis, versus negative impact, ted cruz. and i think many americans would hope -- >> why was -- why was he considered? >> because, again -- i'm not comparing ted cruz to a dictator but i think stalin and hitler and other people have been -- persons of the year. who has the most impact, good or bad. and i think ted cruz was probably more on the negative side of the ledger there. this is a guy who shut down the government, as you know. cost the american economy $28 billion. people could

everyone however, recognized his chosen name as pope, francis. from day one, he proved to be just as humble as his namesake, francis of a sisi. he became known as the people's pope. he dodged the security to be with his flock and was especially interested in the well being of the displaced, the disabled and children. on his first trip back to south america as pope, he received a hero's welcome. 3 million people came to see h him. turning copa cabana in to a catholic woodstock. francis became an official worldwide icon, but an accessible one. i spock freely to reporters. if christmas is a day for remember, many catholics around the world will look back at 2013 as a dramatic and eventful year, when a march marred by scandal was he jew nateed b rejuvenated. >>> edward snowden has a special christmas message for the crittish, he will deliver channel 4's alternative christmas message it's a take off on the queen's annual televised christmas message in his version, snowden calls for an end to the kind of surveillance programs he revealed six months ago

thank you, francis. still to come, a random act of kindness. we touch base with a san francisco police officer whose small gesture grittily helped a woman in need. and withdrawal woes. the problem facing some people impacted by the massive hey! have you ever tried honey nut cheerios? love 'em. neat! now you on the other hand... you need some help. why? look atchya. what is that? you mean my honey wand? [ shouting ] [ splat ] come on. matter of fact. [ rustling ] shirt. shoes. shades. ah! wow! now that voice... my voice? [ auto-tuned ] what's wrong with my voice? yeah man, bee got swag! be happy! be healthy! that's gotta go too. ♪ hey! must be the honey! [ sparkle ] sweet. >> welcome back, everyone. >> it's 6:12 on this sunday morning. happy new year to you. here is a live look showing the holiday lights still on on parts of the embarcadero. the beautiful new section of the bay bridge there looking like kind of a twinkling ship, if you will. the weather, weather about the same. just a repeat what we have been having. frances dinglasan will be

this is pope francis' manifesto. in the book, he talks about capitalism and decentralizing power away from the vatican. >> what it would do is return to an original motto of the church where the pope with all the other bishops around the world, govern the church together. if he can do that, it would be the biggest change in a thousand years. >> reporter: ad vent sunday marks the way for christ's nativity. with a pope like francis, catholics the world over are celebrating the rebirth of the catholic church as a whole. nbc news, rome. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sun. stay tuned for football night in america following the new york giants and washington. i'm lester holt reporting from new york for all of us here at nbc news. goonlt. [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, we've always been on the forefront of innovation. when the world called for speed... ♪ ...when the world called for stealth... ♪ ...intelligence... endurance... affordability... adaptability... and when the world asked for the future. sta

so many people have been talking about pope francis. in your perspective, though, has the pope's greatest impact been on doctriner or perhaps the image of the papacy? >> i think you could probably make a case for both. there is nothing that he has taught or preached that does not fit into catholic doctrine. obviously he is the propagate for of the doctrine. he is the voice of the church throughout the world. but i think maybe the most important thing is his style. he is obviously a very humble man. he is obviously a very nice man. and he is obviously someone who believes what he says. what you see is what you get. and i think that that has touched the people of the world, men, women, children, old people, they all seem to smile when he comes on the tv screen or when he comes into a room. >> has he changed the faith and understanding of the faith for priests, for you in particular? >> well, i hope not. i hope i have always had the same principles that the holy father preaches so eloquently today not just by what he says but by how he say

and i'll be back with more news from just over half an hour from now in the meantime pope francis is named time magazine's person of the year is that a sign of the church's influence or just a good bit of a loss is in cross talk after the break. confident that the irish people won't be asking it down to a stab in. the down why be why the private banks of any cause so start after hopkins wasn't to be found now economically what always happens is the. central bankers politicians say this will never ever happen again and it keeps on happening but we have to ensure is that if the us company. doesn't switch please make us all full cost for tots slave. is on a journey to structure. one hundred twenty three days. through june so my mother tongue two cities of russia. relate fourteen thousand people or sixty thousand killings. in a record setting trip. their c.e.o. numbers face. a limp the torch relay. on r t r c dot com cool. little. hello and welcome across all things considered i'm peter lavelle time magazine's person of the year francis the catholic pontiff according to the managing edit

francis. >> so maybe it will happen. archbishop, merry christmas and happy new year. >> thank you very much. >>> and now an unusual approach to preventing gun violence. on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the newtown massacre, yet another shooting at a school in colorado made headlines. programmers and entrepreneurs will gather in san francisco this weekend to discuss high-tech solutions to reducing violence in schools. the event is organized by a group called high ground hackers, and joining me now is co-founder james grogan. welcome to the program. >> thank you, julie. >> as i mentioned, another shooting, this time in colorado, where a student targeting a teacher injured two other students before committing suicide. in fact, this is just a day before the newtown massacre one-year anniversary. there's been at least one school shooting roughly every two weeks in this country since newtown. what's your reaction to that epidemic of violence and how can your group address that? >> that's what gave us the motivation to

robert, thank you so much. >>> now, is pope francis anti-capitalism? his first apostolic exhortations suggests he is. but does he really believe that the state produces more prosperity than capitalist markets? we're going to look very closely at these burning issues just ahead on "the kudlow report." ♪ [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 70% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. with investment information, risks, fees and expenses every day we're working to and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u