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| Pope calls for peace at Christmas | Pope calls for peace at Christmas |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Pope Benedict XVI has called for peace in the Middle East and stability in Africa in his Christmas Day message. | Pope Benedict XVI has called for peace in the Middle East and stability in Africa in his Christmas Day message. |
| Speaking from St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the Pope said the people of Zimbabwe were "trapped... in a political and social crisis". | |
| He also decried instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan and Somalia. | |
| Earlier, in his Midnight Mass, the pontiff called for an end to "hatred and violence" in the Middle East. | Earlier, in his Midnight Mass, the pontiff called for an end to "hatred and violence" in the Middle East. |
| Addressing a huge congregation, he appealed for a new understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. | |
| Most of the world's 2.1 billion Christians mark Christmas this week. | Most of the world's 2.1 billion Christians mark Christmas this week. |
| Others, chiefly from among the 200 million Orthodox Christians who use the Julian Calendar for their feast days, celebrate the Nativity on 7 January. | Others, chiefly from among the 200 million Orthodox Christians who use the Julian Calendar for their feast days, celebrate the Nativity on 7 January. |
| At the end of his Urbi et Orbi (Latin for "To the City and the World") speech, the Pope is expected to issue Christmas greetings in 64 languages. | At the end of his Urbi et Orbi (Latin for "To the City and the World") speech, the Pope is expected to issue Christmas greetings in 64 languages. |