Pope Francis urges peace in conflict zones

The Pope has used his annual Christmas message to appeal for peace in conflict zones including Yemen and Syria.

The Pope has used his annual Christmas message to appeal for peace in conflict zones including Yemen and Syria.

The two countries have both been ravaged by war for years, pushing their people into humanitarian crises.

“My wish for a happy Christmas is a wish for fraternity. Fraternity among individuals of every nation and culture,” Pope Francis said on Tuesday.

The Pontiff was giving his yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and to the World) address in the Vatican.

“My thoughts turn to Yemen, in the hope that the truce brokered by the international community may finally bring relief to all those children and people exhausted by war and famine,” he said from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, addressing the square below.

He also said he hoped the international community would “work decisively for a political solution” in Syria – a country that is approaching its eighth year of war.