Pope Francis, on his yearly Christmas message, criticized the "brutal persecution" of ethnic minorities. Celebrating his second "Urbi et Orbi" or to the city and the world, the pope expressed his deep sympathy to the victims of the ongoing war in Syria and Iraq. He added on his message that "Too many people are being held hostage or massacred."

He condemned the actions of the Taliban especially the recent attack on a public school in the Peshawar region of Pakistan which left more than 140 people dead mostly children and students of the school. Pope Francis also insisted that an immediate peace negotiation between Israel and the Palestine be convened. Thousands of devout followers have gathered on the St. Peter Square to attend the Argentine Pope's annual celebration of the Christmas day mass.

On his message the Pope said that Christians in the war-torn region of Iraq and Syria have suffered for far too long and along with other ethnic and religious groups are currently suffering "brutal persecution."

The Pope's Christmas message highlighted the pontiff's enduring call for peace, he emphasized the recent rise of violence in Pakistan, Libya, Ukraine, Nigeria and several parts of Africa. The Pope also prayed for the comfort and well-being of the families of the children that were killed in the Taliban offensive on a Peshawar school in Pakistan last week. He also prayed for the victims of the Ebola virus in Africa.

Pope Francis on Wednesday made a surprising phone call to a refugee camp in Irbill, part of northern Iraq's Kurdistan region. The pope likened the refugees to the child Jesus saying "You are like Jesus on Christmas night. There was no room for him either."

The call for peace of Pope Francis is not new. Ever since the Argentine Pope took over the Holy See, he has delivered his appeal to end the world's conflicts during his Sunday Angelus.