Pope Francis has condemned the "brutal persecution" of Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities in his conventional Christmas Day address.
Pope Francis highlighted the plight of the victims in Iraq and Syria who have been held hostage by Islamic State (IS) militants, reported BBC.
He also said that too many people were being killed and held hostage in Nigeria.
The Peshawar attack by the Taliban was also condemned by Pope Francis at St Peter's Square while he also urged dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.
Tens of thousands of people turned out to hear the Argentine Pope's annual message.