Pope's Christmas address focuses on Pakistani school attack victims

A sombre Pope Francis steeped his Christmas message to the world today in sadness for those with little cause
for joy abused children, refugees, hostages, and others sufferingfrom violence in the Middle East, Africa, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Anguish for children who suffer maltreatment or violence,including in the recent attack on a Pakistani militaryschool, tempered the pontiff's traditional Christmas Day speech,which he delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

• Read the Pope's Christmas Eve message

A crowd, estimated by the Vatican to number more than 80,000 Romans, tourists and pilgrims, filled St. Peter's Square for the "urbi etorbi" message (Latin for "to the city and to the world").

"Truly there are so many tears this Christmas," said Francis,looking solemn and smiling little, in contrast to his often joculardemeanour when addressing crowds.

He lamented that many children are "made objects of trade and trafficking" or forced to become soldiers, as well as those neverborn because of abortion.

"I think also of those infants massacred in bomb attacks, alsothose where the Son of God was born," said Francis, referring tothe Middle East.

Francis decried the persecution of ancient Christian communitiesin Iraq and Syria, at the hands of ISIS militants, along with those from other ethnic and religiousgroups.

"May Christmas bring them hope," he said.

Referring to refugees and exiles, he prayed: "May indifferencebe changed into closeness, and rejection into hospitality." He expressed hope they'd receive humanitarian help to withstand the"rigours of winter, return to their countries and live withdignity."

Pope takes aim at greed, praises Ebola fighters

The Pope also thanked those courageously helping people infectedwith Ebola in Africa.

In his litany of the world's troubled places, he denouncedhostage-taking in Nigeria, and hoped that reconciliation wouldprevail over "hatred and violence" in Ukraine, where pro-Russianrebels have been fighting against government forces in the east of that country.

While much of his message concerned poor countries, Francis hadharsh words for some in affluent nations. He prayed for an end tothe hardened hearts "of so many men and women immersed inworldliness and indifference, the globalization of indifference."

Christmas joy will only be realized when weapons are transformed"into ploughshares, destruction into creativity, hatred into loveand tenderness," Francis concluded before giving the crowd hisblessing.

About an hour after the Pope went inside, a protester from theFemen activist group bared her chest and snatched the statue of BabyJesus in the life-sized nativity scene at the centre of the square,while thousands of visitors were strolling across the space. Agendarme from the Vatican's security forces hustled away the woman,after she was covered with a coat.