Every year, the Pope leads an annual Christmas Sermon from Vatican City to honor Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. On Tuesday morning, Pope Benedict XVI talked about Syria and the need for violence to come to an end.

From The Huffington Post: 

The 85-year-old pope, marking the eighth Christmas season of his pontificate, celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve mass in St Peter's Basilica, during which he appealed for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and an end to the civil war in Syria.

He began the ceremony by discussing the way people have changed their priorities, focusing more on instant gratification and short term happiness as opposed to long term faith and dedication.

The pope spoke concern of the Middle East and the many groups of people living in fear and suffering.

READ MORE: Reports Of Dozens Killed In Airstrike On Syrian Bakery 

His speech continued, "May peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenseless and reaps innocent victims."

From CNN: 

Christians from several denominations represent 10% of the population, and they have been drawn into a civil war that has largely been fought by the Alawite-dominated government and the largely Sunni opposition.

Nearby countries  and allies have been refusing to support Assad’s Regime from Syria, which has protected many Christians until recently, causing a disruption in choosing supporting sides.

READ MORE: Russia Says It Won’t Offer Syria’s Assad Refuge 

Many practitioners of the Catholic faith have already began to depart from the area, their lives in danger and their population dwindling with each day.  According to some estimates from the Huffington Post: “The current population of 12 million Christians in the Middle East could halve by 2020 if security and birth rates continue to decline.”

 

You can read the translated Christmas Day “Urbi Et Orbi” from the Pope here. 

Read more about Syria here.

Reach Executive Producer Eric Parra here.