Pope Leo addresses suffering of Palestinians and others in his Christmas address

Pope Leo denounced the suffering of Palestinians during his Christmas address from St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Thursday, 

The pontiff said that Jesus identified with those "who have nothing left and lost everything, like the inhabitants of Gaza”.

The pontiff asked the thousands of worshippers in attendance to “think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold” during mass.

With most of Gaza's infrastructure destroyed, Palestinians are living in tents or in destroyed buildings with unexploded ordinances.

The pople prayed for “justice, peace and stability" in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.

The pope also spoke of the plight of the homeless across the globe and the destruction caused by war more generally in places like Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, and Ukraine, among others.

"Fragile is the flesh of defenceless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds," said the pope.