Pope Francis called for an end to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts in his Christmas message on Sunday, saying that the world is suffering from "a grave famine of peace."

He also urged people to look beyond "shallow holiday glitter" and to help the homeless, immigrants, refugees and the poor. “Let us see the faces of all those children who, everywhere in the world, long for peace,” he said, speaking from the central balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. “Let us also see the faces of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are experiencing this Christmas in the dark and cold, far from their homes due to the devastation caused by 10 months of war,” he said.

He said the Ukrainian conflict should not diminish concern for people whose lives have been shattered by other conflicts or humanitarian crises, naming Syria, Myanmar, Iran, Haiti and the Sahel region of Africa, among others. “We know that every war causes hunger and exploits food as a weapon,” he said, lamenting what he described as “a grave famine of peace”.

The pontiff called for a renewed dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, the birthplace of Jesus.

While many sit at "a well-spread table," he said, huge quantities of food are wasted daily and resources are wasted on weapons.

He again condemned the use of food as a weapon of war, saying that the war in Ukraine has put millions of people at risk of starvation, mentioning Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa.