Pope urges COVID-19 'vaccines for all' in Christmas message

Pope Francis delivered his Christmas message virtually from a lectern inside the Vatican instead of from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica before tens of thousands.

Pope Francis leads a Christmas Eve mass to mark the nativity of Jesus Christ, at St Peter's basilica in the Vatican, 24 December 2020. Source: AFP

Pope Francis in his Christmas message called for "vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet" for the coronavirus, which he said had exacerbated existing global crises.

The pontiff also touched on the plight of children caught up by war, singling out victims in Syria, Yemen and Iraq in his Christmas message.

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