During his Christmas speech in the Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI urged people to put an "end to the bloodshed" and the "savage" violence the world is witnessing in current times.
During his traditional Christmas message, the pope also spoke about other areas of conflict that has been taking place around the world.
On Christmas day, 40,000 people from all over the world crowded the St. Peter's Square to hear the 85-year-old pope, resplendent in red vestments, deliver the "Urbi et Orbi" (To the City and to the World) message.
The pope first addressed the ongoing situation in Nigeria, where he asked people to put an end to the "savage acts of terrorism" that "continue to reap victims, particularly among Christians."
As he continued to address the crowd, news of the attack kept pouring in.
According to a report by AP, a few gunmen attacked a church in the northern state of Yobe during a service on Christmas Eve. During the shooting, six people, including the pastor were killed, after which they set the building ablaze.
The pope also addressed the issues in Syria and prayed for peace to be restored in Syria, whose people have been "deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenseless and reaps innocent victims."
The pope also called "for an end to the bloodshed... and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict."
"Only justice and peace in the Holy Land can reestablish balance and stability in the region and in the world," Patriarch Fuad Twal told worshippers in the West Bank city, the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
"From this holy place, I invite politicians and men of good will to work with determination for peace and reconciliation that encompasses Palestine and Israel in the midst of all the sufferings in the Middle East," Twal said.
Prominent political figures across the world took time out during this festive season to pay attention to other social causes.
In South Africa, former leader Nelson Mandela, who is currently being hospitalized, spent Christmas with many visitors who came to see him at his hospital bedside, including his wife Graca Machel, other family members and President Jacob Zuma.
"We found him in good spirits," Zuma said. "He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking much better."
Former U.S. president George H.W. Bush celebrated Christmas in a similar manner as he is currently being hospitalized in a Texas hospital for a series of health setbacks which has delayed his release. He has been suffering from bronchitis.
Kate Middleton, who has been recovering from acute morning sickness due to her pregnancy, opted for spending Christmas with her family instead of the Royals this year.
