Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the victims of famine, floods and conflict in his Christmas message as a string of bomb attacks targeting churches in Nigeria killed dozens.

The 84-year-old pontiff notably called for an end to the bloodshed in Syria and said he hoped this year's Arab revolts would aid the "common good."

"May the Lord come to the aid of our world torn by so many conflicts which even today stain the earth with blood... May he bring an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed," the pope said.

His strongest words were against war and in favour of reconciliation, particularly between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land but also in the Great Lakes region of Africa and the new nation of South Sudan.

"May he grant renewed vigour to all elements of society in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East as they strive to advance the common good," he told thousands of pilgrims at the Vatican in a year that saw the overthrow of dictators in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

In religiously-divided Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, at least 40 people were killed when five separate bomb attacks claimed by Islamist sect Boko Haram targeted churches during Christmas services.

A purported Boko Haram spokesman claimed responsibility for all of Sunday's attacks, which also included a suicide bombing outside the offices of secret police in the northeastern city of Damaturu.

The spokesman, Abul Qaqa, also told AFP the group would launch more attacks "in the next few days."

The United States condemned the violence, with the White House saying it had spoken with Nigerian officials "about what initially appear to be terrorist attacks" and had pledged to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

European leaders also expressed revulsion at the attacks, with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle lamenting that "even on Christmas Day, the world is not spared from cowardice and the fear of terrorism."

Benedict urged the international community to aid those suffering from hunger in the Horn of Africa and prayed for the victims of recent flooding in Thailand and the Philippines, which he said were enduring "grave hardships."

Peace was also a central theme in Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Twal's Christmas Eve homily delivered in Bethlehem, where hotels and guesthouses were packed to capacity.

"We ask for peace, stability and security for the entire Middle East," said Twal, the most senior Roman Catholic in the region.

In a midnight mass, he urged "the return of calm and reconciliation in Syria, in Egypt, in Iraq and in North Africa."

Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, saw some of its largest crowds of tourists in years, bringing cheer to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while celebrations also passed without incident in Iraq.


AFP