ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV got into the Christmas spirit Monday by taking part in a very Roman papal tradition: praying for peace at a statue of the Madonna near the Spanish Steps on the Dec. 8 feast day that kicks off the Christmas season.
Leo greeted thousands of well-wishers who braved the cold to watch the American pope on his inaugural outing to the statue. They were treated to a popemobile romp through Rome’s historic center, which has been decked out for the start of the holiday shopping season.
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People photograph Christmas lights in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Rome's Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, left, lights up a giant Christmas tree in central Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV arrives to pray in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leaves after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leads the prayer in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leaves after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leaves after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
The pope got a special honor from the association of shop owners of the Via Condotti, the chic shopping street that extends from the Spanish Steps and features such brands as Bulgari, Hermes and Prada.
Wearing his formal red mozzetta, or cape, Leo offered a big bouquet of white roses and then a brief prayer at the foot of the statue. He recalled the millions of people who have come to Rome this year on a Holy Year pilgrimage that brought them to the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica.
"After the Holy Doors, may other doors now open to homes and oases of peace where dignity can flourish once more, where nonviolence can be taught, and the art of reconciliation can be learned," he said.
Leo will be presiding over his first Christmas as pope this year, and already has introduced one novelty. The Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Mass, which had been moved up earlier and earlier in recent years to accommodate older popes, this year is due to begin at the 10 p.m. usual start time.
Leo will have just a few hours of sleep before celebrating Christmas Day Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica the next morning, followed by his return to the loggia — where he first appeared as pope May 8 — to deliver his Urbi et Orbi speech (to the city and the world).
He’ll preside over evening prayers known as vespers on New Year’s Eve and then a New Year’s Day Mass and blessing Jan. 1.
The Christmas season comes to an end with Epiphany Mass on Jan. 6, which also marks the official closing of the 2025 Holy Year and the shutting of the Holy Door to the basilica.
Usually Holy Years, also known as Jubilees, are held every 25 years, but Leo has already announced the next one, to be celebrated in an off year — 2033 — to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
People photograph Christmas lights in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Rome's Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, left, lights up a giant Christmas tree in central Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV arrives to pray in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leaves after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leads the prayer in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leaves after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV leaves after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary next to the Spanish Steps in Rome, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, on the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
When Kevin Ketels bought an electric 2026 Chevrolet Blazer last year, he wasn't thinking about the cost of gas. He just thought EVs were better and “wanted to be part of the future.” Now that the Iran war is spiking prices at the pump, the Detroit man is happy he is no longer filling up his 11-year-old gas-powered SUV.
“Electricity can go up, but it won’t go up nearly as much as gas will and it won’t go up nearly as fast, either,” said Ketels, 55, an assistant professor of global supply chain management at Wayne State University.
Experts say prolonged high gas prices may drive some EV interest and sales, especially if drivers assume their electricity prices won't be affected by the crises.
But many factors influence consumer EV purchases — and electricity rates.
Drivers of gas-powered vehicles are much more vulnerable to fluctuating prices that result from global conflict than those who charge their cars. The national average for a gallon of regular gas this week was $3.57, up from $2.94 a month ago, according to AAA.
Meanwhile, “residential electricity prices are regulated and are much less volatile than gasoline prices,” said University of California, Davis economics professor Erich Muehlegger. “As a result, EV owners are largely unaffected by oil price shocks.”
But experts say electricity prices have been increasing nationally for a variety of reasons, including surging power demand from new data centers.
“This is an inflationary event,” Holt Edwards, principal in Bracewell’s Policy Resolution Group, said of the war. “Is this the driver in electricity prices? I think probably not. But it’s certainly a contributing factor.”
To what extent oil and gas conflicts could translate to the electricity sector is yet to be seen.
When it comes to the electricity an EV owner is tapping, much of the cost depends on which sources of electricity are in a local grid's power mix, experts say.
Because regulators set residential electricity prices annually, most households are sheltered from month-to-month changes in natural gas costs. Though experts say higher natural gas prices can increase the cost of generating electricity, natural gas prices haven’t risen as quickly or as much as oil prices have recently.
Those are just two of many energy sources — including coal, nuclear and renewables — that power the electric grid.
“The energy component varies depending on the energy you’re using and the price of the energy that you’re using to generate electricity,” said Pierpaolo Cazzola, an energy expert at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “What happens is that in the U.S., the variation of the price of the energy component is smaller than it is elsewhere.”
The experts said persistent war could affect electricity bills in the future. And that is all the more reason for countries to transition to clean power, they said.
“Clean power and electrification combined is what provides the most security,” said Euan Graham, an analyst at energy think tank Ember.
Michael B. Klein, a 56-year-old software developer in Evanston, Illinois, has driven EVs for the past eight years to save on fuel costs and because of environmental concerns.
Every time electrical grid efficiency improves — especially as renewables are added — “I get that benefit no matter what,” said Klein, who drives a Chevy Bolt. “They can improve the efficiency of gas engines, but you have to get a new car in order to reap the benefit of that.”
Several experts say high gasoline prices are a strong driver of EV sales, particularly if high prices persist. Drivers also consider more gasoline-efficient hybrid vehicles during these times.
Car-shopping resource Edmunds analyzed consumer shopping data for the week starting March 2, after the Iran war had begun. They found that interest in hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery EVs accounted for 22.4% of all vehicle research activity on their site that week, up from 20.7% the previous week. Analysts also looked back at the last major nationwide fuel price surges in 2022, and they saw that consideration of electrified vehicles rose sharply then, too.
But whether this means more EV purchases depends on whether buyers expect to save not just now but in the future, experts say.
Adding to the complexity: A sudden increase in EV demand could drive up prices, Graham said.
“I think the real step change would be in whether this causes governments to shift tax, tariff policies around EVs,” Graham said. Doing so would help reduce fossil fuel dependence, he said.
Pretty much.
People who buy EVs have a “really substantial” gas savings over the life of their vehicles even without government tax credits, said Peter Zalzal, an attorney with Environmental Defense Fund.
“We’re talking about thousands and thousands of dollars” in savings, Zalzal said. “And as gas prices increase, those savings are only greater. Fuel costs are a big piece of overall vehicle costs, and increases in fuel prices have significant impacts on people.”
However, the upfront cost of a new EV is still more than that of a gasoline-powered vehicle; new EVs sold for an average of $55,300 last month, while new vehicles overall sold for an average $49,353, according to auto-buying resource Kelley Blue Book. Some experts also expressed national security concerns with EVs because China dominates significant parts of the EV supply chain.
Ketels, the EV owner and professor, said he believes EVs and renewable energy should be a strategic priority for individuals and the U.S. because they could be produced domestically “and we don’t have those fluctuations and those worries.”
But because the federal government has withdrawn many incentives for both, “it puts us at a disadvantage globally,” Ketels said. “I think it’s been a terrible mistake to withdraw these incentives and to attack the sustainable energy industry,” and the war “is just making it that much more obvious.”
Read more of AP’s climate coverage.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
An electric vehicle charges at a station Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Lincolnwood, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
An electric vehicle charges at a station Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Lincolnwood, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Electric vehicles charge at a station Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Lincolnwood, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
