Thousands of people attended Pope Francis’ Christmas message from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The pontiff spoke of war, terrorism, and the migrant crisis. He said he prays for peace in Libya and Syria, then made correlations to the tensions that were present when the Son of God came into the world to the presence violent tensions that persist. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict were included in the address, as the pope encouraged the resumption of peace talks, and conflicts within Ukraine, Colombia, Yemen, Iraq, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo were referenced. During the Christmas Eve celebration mass, the pope denounced materialism and “called on Roman Catholics to not be ‘intoxicated’ by possessions.”