Days after the Chicago-born pontiff made his first Christmas message, congregants attending Mass at Holy Name Cathedral for the Feast of the Holy Family said they see parallels in Leo and his predecessor but hope to see some changes in the way Leo leads the church.

Relive the Bears' past Christmas Day battles against rivals, from clutch wins clinching division titles to nail-biting losses.

With the Chicago Bears earning a 22-16 win in overtime over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, the team had an extra day to prepare to travel to play the San Francisco 49ers on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 17.

The Bears have Christmas Day off before returning to the practice field in preparation for the 49ers, which is a challenge for a Bears team eyeing a division crown.

The Bears had reason to celebrate Saturday night again, thanks to the Baltimore Ravens defeating the Green Bay Packers. With the Ravens win, the Bears broke a seven-year drought.

1994: Bears kicker Kevin Butler became the first Bear and only the 22nd NFL player to score 1,000 points, with his 44-yard field goal during the first quarter of a 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots. Two other tries, however, failed. A 38-yard attempt was blocked in the third quarter and a 36-yard try later sailed wide left.

As the 11-4 Chicago Bears prepare for their Sunday night matchup with the 11-4 San Francisco 49ers, one player earned an extra Christmas present from the league thanks to his impressive performance against the Green Bay Packers.

Bears superfan Seth Rollins will be watching Netflix's NFL Christmas games, especially the NFC North showdown between the Vikings and Lions. This year, the Netflix NFL Christmas broadcast includes an NFC North showdown that WWE star and Chicago Bears superfan Seth Rollins will be keeping a close eye on.

Chicago area sports retailers are getting a big boost from the Bears’ winning streak as the team gears up for playoffs. At Clark Street Sports’ eight stores across the Chicago area, sales of Bears merchandise have jumped 41% compared to last year, co-owner Jason Caref said.

On defense, the 49ers enter Week 17 averaging 21.3 points per game (11th in the NFL), while the Bears are 19th at 23.6 points per game. The 49ers have the superior run defense; they rank 8th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, whereas the Bears are 27th.