In his annual Christmas message on
Friday, Pope Francis said fraternity is the watchword during
these troubled times exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reported.

“At this moment
in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social
imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more
important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters,” he
said in his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ message.

The pope added that
this call for solidarity was aimed at “people who are the most fragile,
the sick and all who at this period find themselves without work or in grave
difficulty due to the economic consequences of the pandemic and to women, who
have been subjected to domestic violence during these months of
confinement.”

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He also spoke about
the plight of children caught up by war, focusing specifically on victims in
Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

“On this day,
when the word of God became a child, let us turn our gaze to the many, all too
many, children worldwide, especially in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, who still pay the
high price of war. May their faces touch the consciences of all men and women
of good will, so that the causes of conflicts can be addressed and courageous
efforts can be made to build a future of peace,” he said, AFP reported.

The Vatican said
earlier this week that the pope will visit Iraq in March. This will be the
first ever by a pontiff and will include a trip to the city of Mosul, a former
jihadist stronghold.