Vatican City, December 26 (RHC)-- Pope Francis advocated fraternity "among individuals of all nations and cultures" in his annual Christmas message at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
 
"My desire for a happy Christmas is a desire for fraternity, fraternity among people of all nations and cultures," he said.  He referred specifically to Venezuela and Nicaragua.   "May this time of blessing allow Venezuela to find harmony again," he said.  "And that all members of society work fraternally for the development of the country, helping the weakest sectors of the population," he added.
 
"May the inhabitants of the beloved Nicaragua be rediscovered, so that divisions and discords do not prevail, but that all strive to favor reconciliation and to build together the future of the country," said Pope Francis.
 
The Pope prayed specifically for Syria and Yemen, where long-standing conflicts have generated humanitarian disasters and devastated civilian life.