we break down the pop fourteen francis -- pope francis effect. >> our digital producer wajahat ali is here. keep it coming. waj, catholic or not pope francis is all the buzz now. >> i'm not catholic, but i went to an all boy's jess wit high school, bellarmine. we have oswald, says he is the hope i have been waiting for. chris on twitter thinks the pope thinks aids is bad, the dogma is old , #yan. we have a different pope and that's it. >> accusing the pope of doing branding. we're going to get into it. what is the pope francis effect? from rome to rio de janeiro, what is the buzz? however his softened language on hot button issues have some evaluating his political impact. joining us to take a closer look at the pope francis effect is father john guthrie, a member of the clergy for more than 20 years. sister jean grenick, she has been vocal on lgbt issues, a move that got her sanctioned by the church. and he penned an article, what can sarah palin and the gop can learn from pope francis. a four decade low, lack of interest what do you think is the reason for that? >> well i think inst

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,

pope francis has hinted, we have to talk about this. there is a lot of alienation and hurt over divorce and remarriage. so these are very ordinary down to earth substantive issues in the lives of real people and francis is tackling them. >> what do you think about this? is there a possibility in a way, this is reason why so many people have such a positive opinion of the pope. there are still other people who feel that perhaps the movement is too fast. is there any risk do you think of some whip lash? that he is moving too quickly? or as you look at this, having studied the vatican, that it is about time the catholic church moved along? >> well, look. i think change, whether it is change in politics or in the economy or in this case, religion. change is going to be unsettling to some. if you look at the reaction francis has generated over the last nine months, there would be some conservative sectors in the church who worry that it is too much too fast. but there is some on the left that think he is not going fast enough or far enough.

we break down the pop fourteen francis -- pope francis effect. >> our digital producer wajahat ali is here. keep it coming. waj, catholic or not pope francis is all the buzz now. >> i'm not catholic, but i went to an all boy's jess wit high school, bellarmine. we have oswald, says he is the hope i have been waiting for. chris on twitter thinks the pope thinks aids is bad, the dogma is old, #yan. we have a different pope and that's it. >> accusing the pope of doing branding. we're going to get into it. what is the pope francis effect? from rome to rio de janeiro, what is the buzz? however his softened language on hot button issues have some evaluating his political impact. joining us to take a closer look at the pope francis effect is father john guthrie, a member of the clergy for more than 20 years. sister jean grenick, she has been vocal on lgbt issues, a move that got her sanctioned by the church. and he penned an article, what can sarah palin and the gop can learn from pope francis. a four decade low, lack of interest what do you think is the reason for that? >> well i think insti

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

. >> 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 has spoken out against. capitalism you know negative capitalism making money as a god and i am i am heavily paraphrasing there. let's be real jesus in the temple turned over the money changers tables that's doctrine that all christians can agree on that's nothing new and radical this pope has yet to address the major issues that are plaguing catholicism right now he has he has appointed a commission to look into the abuse of children but keep in mind this is a pope who a few years ago said that homosexuals adopting children is a form of child abuse i think this is a pope who absolutely would understand what is child abuse when you look at the scandals of child rape and child abuse in latin america and argentina and you know that this is a pope who before he was a pope was privy to that knowledge when you look at the fact that this pope chose to dismiss a few of his cardinals and whatnot but he left in place someone from germany who in two thousand and four moved a known pedophile priest and said well you kno

we got engaged shortly before pope francis became pope. as soon as he did, just something about him, we were like, we need to go. we need to go to rome, after we get married to get our marriage blessed. >> congratulations to you both. >> since you're hanging out with us. eating sandwiches. thank you, you two. congratulations to you again. >> thanks to all of you. and back to you the times square. >> amazing. what a wonderful event we have this morning. in rome and also here. >>> barbara walters' special, "the ten most fascinating people of the year" is much of loved. the people we've been talking about all year long. it's hard to fathom that the 2013 edition, the 21st year will be the last. it's true. barbara is here to tell us about this year's fascinating show. and the new pope is on the list. >> but you just told me it's the last. i'm in tears. >> i know. we all are. >> it's the longest-running special. who knows? maybe by popular demand we'll stay on another year. >> would you? >> at the moment, this is the last. the pope, he is on our

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

it didn't take long for pope francis to break with tradition. placing the statue of baby jesus in the manger himself, instead of an aide doing it, in keeping with his theme of humility. god loves us. he gave us his son to be light in our darkness. the traditional christmas lesson of light and love from a most untraditional pope. in just nine months, pope francis has charmed the world. >> his message of hope and love translates into every language. he is humble, he is definitely a people's pope. >> reporter: the leader of 1.2 billion catholics, he still comes across as a kindly grandfather, not standing on ceremony. reaching out to all, especially children, the poor and the abandoned, and the afflicted. opening the doors of the church. on gay priests, he says, who am i to judge? on women in the church, he says they are essential. a change in catholic dogma, or just a change in style? >> there is certainly a style change which is simplicity. but he is not going to throw out core doctrine. >> reporter: his message to the church is harsher. clean up

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

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

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 the classics you may not have heard of. >>> we begin with a look back at some of the natural disasters that after -- afflicted so many americans. >> reporter: first the sirens. then the frantic race to take cover. some in basements. others in bathtubs. the final warning is unmistakab unmistakable. an erie stillness blankets the land. two f-5 level tornados ripped through oklahoma. winds crashed through neighborhoods at nearly 300 miles an hour. >> this was one of the biggest and strongest tornados ever. his wind field and intensity were among the strongest that have been ever observed. >> reporter: this scientist approached the tornado with his research team. after scanning in he knew the risk was to high to move forward. but nearby a group of tornado tornado. >> once insid

boy, we got that on steroids with pope francis. he's the world's parish priest. >> reporter: drawing in the young with a sense of humor and laid back style, on his travels, pope francis is a rock star, speaking out in new ways. >> -- and social media. >> reporter: and downplaying what he calls the church's obsession with social issues. he seems to want to rebalance. abortion, and gay marriage. but he says, let's not just talk about this all the time. >> the teaching of the church is a timeless gift, you can't change it, it's ours, we inherited it. we're given it. but the way we gift wrap it, the way we make it more attractive and more compelling to the world, that can always change. and that's what francis is saying. >> pope francis is emphasizing different parts of church doctrine. so, he's talking about income inequality and the need for the church to be the church of the poor. >> reporter: in outlying his vision of the church, he took on capitalism. an economy that kills. >> he says that the dollar, if money, if the economy beco

even president obama has expressed pope love. >> you know, i think pope francis is showing himself to e be -- of peace and justice. >> now, the relationship between popes and u.s. presidents has been long and complicated and a lot more interesting than you might think. when new york governor al smith ran for president in 1928 on the democratic ticket, he was the first-ever presidential nominee who was a catholic. and the campaign against him was virulent, saying smith would be beholden to the pope and that he was, according to a leading protestant magazine of the time, a representative of the medieval latin mentality of an u.n. democratic hierarchy and a foreign poeten tate. he lost. john f. kennedy faced similar claims, but kennedy pushed back. in a speech to a group of property tant ministers in september of 1960 he said something that sounds extraordinary today, that, quote, i believe in an america that is officially neither catholic, protestant, nor jewish, where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the pope, the national council of chur

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

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

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

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

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 the classics you may not have heard of. >>> we begin with a look back at some of the natural disasters that after -- afflicted so many americans. >> reporter: first the sirens. then the frantic race to take cover. some in basements. others in bathtubs. the final warning is unmistakab unmistakable. an erie stillness blankets the land. two f-5 level tornados ripped through oklahoma. winds crashed through neighborhoods at nearly 300 miles an hour. >> this was one of the biggest and strongest tornados ever. his wind field and intensity were among the strongest that have been ever observed. >> reporter: this scientist approached the tornado with his research team. after scanning in he knew the risk was to high to move forward. but nearby a group of tornado chasers penetrated ins

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 has spoken out against. capitalism you know negative capitalism making money as a god and i am i am heavily paraphrasing there. let's be real jesus in the temple turned over the money changers tables that's doctrine that all christians can agree on that's nothing new and radical this pope has yet to address the major issues that are plaguing catholicism right now he has he has appointed a commission to look into the abuse of children but keep in mind this is a pope who a few years ago said that homosexuals adopting children is a form of child abuse i think this is a pope who absolutely would understand what is child abuse when you look at the scandals of child rape and child abuse in latin america in argentina and you know that this is a pope who before he was a pope was privy to that knowledge when you look at the fact that this pope chose to dismiss a few of his cardinals and whatnot but he left in place someone from germany who in two thousand and four moved a known pedophile priest and said well you know

>> 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 you, lord, forget no one. and you also want to bring peace to that land torn apart by a spiral of violence and poverty. where so many people are homeless, lacking water, food, and the bare necessities of life. >> we can join our correspondent who was with the tens of thousands who flocked to st. peters square. thanks for joining us. it was a message of hope. pope francis left no stone unturned and made his way across the world, looking at its various conflicts and calling for peace, not just a message directed at catholics but far beyond th

. >> i give to pope francis. he loves people and that is a key ingredient if you want to be a politician. >> are you stuck in that track. >> he deserved all the applaud that we can all give him. >> hillary clinton who kept herself out of the dispute of obamacare and preserved all that she needs for the next presidential campaign. >> i give to governor chris christie for walking a tightrope. >> best politician is president putin. no other statesman played his hand so did he deaffully in 2013. >> and the silver goes to anthony wiener your friend. >> i would agree with you on that but i would add ted cruz. in his short year in the senate, he has been able to offend every member of the senate, which is his party. >> i think 17 women have asserted that they had a sexual harassment moment with him that is no small moment for a public figure. >> i'll give ted cruz the domestic award. >> reconcile with the political opposition and morrissy refused and now he's on trial. worst politician. and the most defining political m

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

pope of the people. >> i'm impressed with pope francis and i'm excited to see him. so this is a highlight to our trip. >> reporter: many catholics waved flags from their home countries, bidding for the pope's first speech. alfonso van marsh, cbs news, the vatican. >> thousands of catholics gathered in bethlehem for midnight mass. this is where jesus christ was born. the church currently under a $2.6 million restoration process. turnout in bethlehem was the highest in years despite cold weather and powerful storm that dumped snow in the higher elevations. >>> back home, the spirit of giving on this christmas day is going strong. kpix 5's cate caugiran live at glide memorial in san francisco where volunteers are serving up thousands of warm holiday meals. good afternoon, cate. >> reporter: good afternoon, and merry christmas to you, frank. the volunteers are still here. we have some washington huskies here in the room in town for the fight hunger bowl. there have been a total of 500 volunteers slicing up hundreds of happens and turkeys in order to help those of those

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

the secelebrant of midnight mas is pope francis with music by the sistine chapel choir. this broadcast is presented in consultation with the united states conference of catholic bishops. the commentator is monsignor tom powers, a vatican official, and a spiritual director at the pontifical north american college in rome. >> from st. peter's basilica in vatican city, this is monsignor tom powers extending to each of you a warm welcome as you join us here live for christmas mass during the night with pope francis. this is pope francis' first time celebrating christmas mass as bishop of rome and supreme pontiff of the universal church. we see the procession beginning led by a

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

pope francis is from latin america. from argentina, where he saw firsthand one economic crisis after another in which the rich got richer and the poorer got poorer. i think basically what he's saying is that church needs to pay more attention to the needs of the salt of the earth which is a message i think we've heard from someone else. martin. >> ben wedeman reporting to us from rome. thanks very much. >>> pope francis is responding to some comments that are recusing him of being a marxist. in an interview to an italian newspaper he says "marxist ideology is wrong but i have met many marxists in my life who are good people so i don't feel offended." a very typical personal flair. let's bring in bill donahue and kate childs-graham, young voices columnist for contra"the cathol national reporter." >> bill, let me start with you. bill, first, what do you think of this nomination being named by "time" magazine and what's your reaction? >> i'm very proud as a catholic. this is a man who towers over every world leader and unl

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 also prayed for refugees and victims of human trafficking and natural disasters and expressed hope between the palestinians and israelis. >> you can call him the king of designers. lebron james held a nationwide contest for kids to come up with a t-shirt. it was a san jose boy crowned the winner. >> down in the second. wade looking for the return. >> king james takes competition seriously. and not just when he's on the court. >> do you also know that i paint? >> the two time champ challenged kids t

that's what pope francis is doing. >> but there is, to me, at least, there is an aspect of politics to this. and specifically if you look at arngentin argentina, a south american country that under the kirchner, the husband and wife team that led the country, argentina moved to the left politically. in the time that they were moving to the left, before he became pope, really one of the leading political opposition figures in argentina, we played some of the clips from it, was the pope. have you noticed a change in him since he's become pope? >> i think there is a difference between him opposing the gay marriage bill in argentina, and the comments he made about gay people you should accept them, love them. but that's kind of a typical conservative line. we are opposed to gay marriage, it is the work of the devil, but gay people are humans and we should spread the love of the gospel to them. this is not -- those two things in the conservative mind are not incompatible with one another. >> the line jumped out tat me and a

, pope francis. have you heard anything about the pope being invited to come to san francisco? >> someone mentioned that to me recently high up in the 49ers organization. >> really, so it's a possibility? >> that's the only thing i heard of. it certainly would be very exciting. i did meet him briefly when i was in rome the end of june and reminded him he's the only archdiocese that bears the name st. 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

pope francis paid a visit to the previous pope on monday. the pontiff and the former pope exchanged greetings and an embrace before praying together. earlier this year the two men have only met in public once for an official vatican ceremony in july. >>> from moscow, edward snowden told the "washington post" he is working to improve the nsa. six months after leaking more than a million documents to the media, he said his mission is accomplished. snowden told the post all he wanted was for the public to have a say in how they are governed. >>> americans wanting health insurance by the start of the new year must finish signing up by the end of the day. the january 1st signup was originally intended to end monday. >>> next on al jazeera america, a concern for new parents controversy over the vitamin k shot. >>> and a christmas eve space walk as repairing are being made right now to the international space station. >>> today marks the second christmas eve space walk in nasa history, and in addition control has confirmed it will not interfere wit

but she was in the list earlier on. >> why pope francis? >> he has been a remarkable figure this year. in nine short months, the pope has done something quite remarkable. he changed the conversation about the catholic church. he changed the focus of the church from passing judgment to offering service. he changed the perception of the church from being this out of touch institution to one that is humble, that is welcoming. sort of goings by back to the roots of the faith and talking about the poor, reaching out to them, offering more transparency. up manyrently, giving of the trappings of his high office. not simply to out 1.2 billion catholics, large though that number is, but using modern communication tools and his charisma, and has been able to include many who are not catholics in the discussion about what the right way to approach property is in our time. and what economics we should be talking about. that you honort somebody and you're looking at the global context, and you don't want the popes reached to just be toward catholics bec

pope francis is quite conversational. partly because he's talking about difficult issues for the church, like homosexuality or the role of women in the church. in fact, in terms of doctrine he's really quite conservative. there are a lot of people who are concerned that he won't do enough to move the catholic church forward. >> you're right, though. people are talking about the catholic church and talking about things other than the sexual abuse scandal. so the pope has at least changed the conversation, which is a big deal. >> it is a big deal. 1.2 billion catholics worldwide. but he's reaching a lot more people than that. he's not unlike edward snowden, very salvvy about how to reach people and get his message across. we'll be seeing more from pope francis in the years to come. >> thanks for joining me this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. >> just ahead in the "newsroom", remember this? how could you forget? that was gone zauls? the closet the face of an international custody battle. eventually as y

this is first christmas at the vatican for pope francis. this morning he asked roman catholics around the world to be peacemakers. the pope delivered the traditional christmas message only in italian. last year pope benedict offered greetings in 65 languages. other christian pilgrims are celebrating the holiday in bethleh bethlehem. crowds there were the largest in years. >>> troops celebrated christmas in afghanistan. some prayed, lit candles and sang hymns in kabul. >>> a cold christmas morning for a half million utility customers from maine, michigan and canada. they're still in the dark after this weekend's ice storm. it could be days before they get power. at least 24 deaths are blamed on the storm. >>> christmas is all about giving. this morning we see how a las vegas cabbie took the spirit of the season to a whole new level. >> christmas almost came early for gerardo gamboa. the las vegas taxi driver couldn't believe what he found in the back seat of his cab, several stacks of $100 bills. >> i called my dispatcher. listen, manny, in

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. . >>> a mild 43 degrees and winds are calm at fedex field in landover, maryland, where on this first night of december, "sunday night football" features two long time nfc reef aa arivas washington hosts the giants. the lineup for robert griffin, iii is a disappointment. he did make

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