MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of parishioners from across the metro and greater Minnesota attended Christmas Day mass at the Basilica of Saint Mary.

This was the 110th Christmas at the Basilica, which first opened in 1914.

Clergy WCCO spoke with said this year's Christmas homily echoed that of Pope Francis: build bridges to overcome division.

"We come here, and we are sort of rejuvenated and nourished with this message," Johan Van Parys, Managing Director of Ministries said. "We can go into the world to do better and be better."

It was a message that resonated with many people in the pews, including Victor Mwanje, who came to the Basilica from Mankato.

"Building bridges between people, I think we should start with families and within our families," he said.