Pope prays for end to pandemic in Christmas address

Francis warned of the pandemic tendency to withdraw and isolate, urging instead dialogue to try to resolve the world’s conflicts

Pope Francis waves to the crowd (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

Pope Francis has prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, using his Christmas Day address to urge healthcare for all, vaccines for the poor and for dialogue to prevail in resolving the world’s conflicts.

Amid a record-setting rise in Covid-19 cases in Italy this week, only a few thousand people headed to a rain-soaked St Peter’s Square for Francis’ annual Christmas address.