Pope Francis called for peace in the Holy Land and the entire world in his annual "Urbi et Orbi," or "To the City [Rome] and to the World," message on Christmas Day.
"Where God is born, peace is born. And where peace is born, there is no longer room for hatred and for war. Yet precisely where the incarnate Son of God came into the world, tensions and violence persist, and peace remains a gift to be implored and built," the Pope said, according to CNN.
The Pope gave his plenary indulgence for all Catholics atop the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, guarded by heavier security since the Nov. 13 Paris attack that left 130 dead. He said that he hopes his message of mercy in a world torn by war, poverty and extremist attacks spreads throughout nations, Fox News reported.
Pope Francis also mentioned the Christians that fell victim to the many and different attacks in France, Egypt, Beirut, Mali, Tunisia, Africa, Ukraine and the Middle East.
"They are our martyrs of today," the Pope said. "We pray to the Lord that the agreement reached in the United Nations may succeed in halting as quickly as possible the clash of arms in Syria and in remedying the extremely grave humanitarian situation of its suffering people. It is likewise urgent that the agreement on Libya be supported by all, so as to overcome the grave divisions and violence afflicting the country," he added, according to The Wall Street Journal.
An indulgence is a tradition of the Catholic church that simply refers to praying for the forgiveness of sins.
