In Christmas message curbed by Covid, Pope Francis calls on nations to share vaccines

Pope Francis also called for peace in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Sudan, Nigeria and Cameroon and Iraq, which he is due to visit in early March

TOPSHOT - Pope Francis holds a thurible as he leads a Christmas Eve mass to mark the nativity of Jesus Christ on December 24, 2020, at St Peter's basilica in the Vatican, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus. / AFP / POOL / Vincenzo PINTOShow less

In his Christmas message on Friday, Pope Francis called for nations to share Covid-19 vaccines and said walls of nationalism could not be built to stop a pandemic that knows no borders.

In a sign of the times, Pope Francis delivered his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message virtually from a lectern inside the Vatican instead of from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica before tens of thousands.

The pandemic and its social and economic effects dominated the message, in which Pope Francis called for global unity and help for nations suffering from conflicts and humanitarian crises.

"At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters," he said.

Stressing that health is an international issue, he appeared to criticise so-called 'vaccine nationalism', which UN officials fear will worsen the pandemic if poor nations receive the vaccine last.

Christmas around the world – in pictures 

A woman wearing antlers looks at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images

Medical staff member Anne Aguilar draws a Santa Claus figure on a coverall suit in the nursing station of the Covid-19 intensive care unit on Christmas Eve at the United Memorial Medical Centre in Houston, Texas. AFP

A Christmas tree is seen in front of ice sculptures ahead of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province. AFP

Allan Gubbins and his daughter Helena look at a Christmas tree during an outdoor Christmas Eve Service of Lights at the Granada Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables, Florida. AP Photo

A scouts marching band takes part in Christmas celebrations in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province. AFP

Children hold lit sparklers whilst celebrating Christmas Eve at an improvised shelter, set up under an overpass by people who lost their homes due to the floods caused by the rains brought by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Reuters

Cellphone repairmen wear Santa Clause-themed glasses as they ply their trade sitting on a sidewalk in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. AP Photo

A priest presides over a Christmas Mass at the Manila Cathedral, in Manila, Philippines. Reuters

Altar boys attend the celebration of Christmas at the Basilica Notre Dame in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast. Reuters

Parishioners (on screen) attend an online Christmas mass at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. EPA

People listen to a Christmas Eve mass celebrated in the open outside a church in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA

Priscilla Batz takes shelter from the rain beneath a giant Salvation Army collection kettle on Christmas Eve in New York. AP Photo

A Pakistani security official stands guard outside a church as members of the Christian minority community attend a Christmas mass at the St Patrick's Cathedral in Karachi, Pakistan. EPA

"May the Son of God renew in political and government leaders a spirit of international co-operation, starting with health care, so that all will be ensured access to vaccines and treatment. In the face of a challenge that knows no borders, we cannot erect walls. All of us are in the same boat," he said.

Italians are under a nationwide lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holiday period. The restrictions mean people are not be able to go to St Peter's Square or the basilica for papal events, all of which have been moved indoors.

Christmas is above all a time to help others because Jesus himself was born a poor outcast, Pope Francis said on Thursday night at his Christmas Eve Mass, which started two hours early so the few participants could get home in time before a 10pm curfew.

"May the Child of Bethlehem help us, then, to be generous, supportive and helpful, especially towards those who are vulnerable, the sick, those unemployed or experiencing hardship due to the economic effects of the pandemic, and women who have suffered domestic violence during these months of lockdown," he said in his Friday address.

Pope Francis called for peace and reconciliation in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Sudan, Nigeria and Cameroon and Iraq, which he is due to visit in early March.

He also asked to comfort those suffering from humanitarian crises or natural disasters in Burkina Fasso, Mali, Niger, the Philippines and Vietnam.