Vatican City (CNN) — Pope Benedict XVI prayed for peace in Syria, reconciliation in Myanmar, and comfort in flood-stricken Thailand and the Philippines in his annual Christmas message “To the City and the World” today.
Addressing a packed St. Peter’s Square on a glorious sunny day, the pope pleaded with God to “bring an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed.”
More than 5,000 people have died in Syria since President Bashar al-Assad began a brutal crackdown in mid-March on anti-government protesters calling for his ouster, the United Nations said earlier this month.
In his Christmas morning speech, Benedict also urged the international community to help those suffering hunger and insecurity in the Horn of Africa, a reference to famine and violence in Somalia and Kenya.
