Pope uses Christmas message to lament ‘icy winds of war buffeting humanity’

He also prayed for a lasting truce in Yemen and for reconciliation in Iran and Myanmar

Pope Francis waves to faithful at the end of the Urbi et Orbi (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

Pope Francis used his Christmas message on Sunday to lament the “icy winds of war” buffeting humanity and to make an impassioned plea for an immediate end to the fighting in Ukraine, a 10-month-old conflict he described as senseless.

At noon local time, Francis delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) speech from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.