The Pope has used his Christmas Day message to remind the world's 1.3 billion Catholics that no matter how dark the world may feel, the light of Christ is "greater still". 

Pope Francis delivered his annual "Urbi et Orbi" message to a crowded St Peter's Square at the Vatican. 

He said that although many people were experiencing darkness in personal, family and social relationships, "the light of Christ is greater." 

"There is darkness in economic, geopolitical and ecological conflicts, yet greater still is the light of Christ," he said. 

He went on to remember "the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the Middle East" and other parts of the world, and prayed especially for the "beloved Syrian people" who "still see no end to the hostilities that have rent their country over the last decade".

He called on the international community to work together to find solutions that would allow the people of Syria and the Middle East "to live together in peace and security, and put an end to their unspeakable sufferings."

Reflecting on the upheaval in Lebanon, he said that the people were struggling to "rediscover their vocation to be a message of freedom and harmonious coexistence for all."

Turning his attention to the Holy Land, he said that so many people there were "struggling but not discouraged" as they "await a time of peace, security and prosperity". 

Other countries in the Pope's thoughts this Christmas were Iraq with its "present social tensions", Yemen, which is in the grip of a "grave humanitarian crisis", and countries experiencing social and political upheaval, including Venezuela where he said the people were "long tried by their political and social tensions". 

He prayed that God would "bless the efforts of those who spare no effort to promote justice and reconciliation and to overcome the various crises and the many forms of poverty that offend the dignity of each person." 

Reflecting on social and political upheaval in parts of Africa, he spoke in particular of his sadness over continuing conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has also been afflicted by a devastating Ebola outbreak. 

He prayed that God would "bring consolation to all who suffer because of violence, natural disasters or outbreaks of disease." 

He continued: "And may He bring comfort to those who are persecuted for their religious faith, especially missionaries and members of the faithful who have been kidnapped, and to the victims of attacks by extremist groups, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria."

Reflecting more generally on the condition of the world, he prayed that God would "bring light to all the suffering members of our human family" and "soften our often stony and self-centred hearts", making people instead "channels of His love". 

"May he bring his smile, through our poor faces, to all the children of the world: to those who are abandoned and those who suffer violence," he said.