Pope Francis has urged an end to the fighting in Syria as he gave his Christmas address at the Vatican, saying “far too much blood has been spilled” in the conflict.

His traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and The World) message on Sunday was linked by a common theme of war, violence and suffering.

“It is time for weapons to be still for ever, and the international community to actively seek a negotiated solution,” he told some 40,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square.

Francis, marking the fourth Christmas season since his election in 2013, also urged Palestinians and Israelis, facing renewed tension after a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements on occupied land, to have the courage to put aside hate and revenge and “write a new page of history”.

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