DHAKA: Pope Francis has used his first Christmas Day address to urge access for humanitarian aid in Syria.

He told thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican to pray for a peaceful end to violence in Syria and other conflict zones, reports the BBC.

The Argentine pope also said tragic incidents involving migrants trying to reach Europe should not be repeated.

Christians around the world are celebrating Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.

It was the third successive year that the Syrian conflict had been a main focus of the Christmas speech, one of the addresses known as Urbi et Orbi.

The Pope said too many lives had been lost in Syria, and urged all parties to bring an end to violence and allow humanitarian relief.

He also highlighted violence in Central African Republic.

Pope Francis called it an ‘often forgotten and overlooked’ conflict in a country ‘torn apart by a spiral of violence and poverty’.

BDST: 1752 HRS, DEC 24, 2013
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor