NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that God loves everyone — "even the worst of us" — as he celebrated the joyous birth of Christ after a less-than-joyful year of scandals and opposition.
With a choir singing the classic Christmas hymn "The First Noel," Francis processed down the center aisle of St. Peter's Basilica late Tuesday and unveiled a statue of the newborn Jesus lying in a nativity scene at the foot of the altar.
Francis said the birth of Jesus, which Christians commemorate on Christmas Day, was a reminder of God's unconditional love for everyone, "even the worst of us."
"God does not love you because you think and act the right way," he said. "You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete
