Pope Francis warns against 'winds of war' blowing around the world in Christmas message

Pope Francis has warned against the "winds of war" blowing around the world in his traditional Christmas message on Monday, and expressed hope for a peaceful solution in the conflict in the Middle East as well as the brewing confrontation in the Korean Peninsula.

In his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) address, the pope called for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and prayed for an end to the confrontation on the Korean Peninsula.

"The winds of war are blowing in our world and an outdated model of development continues to produce human, societal and environmental decline," the Pope said in his message delivered from the central balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square, as reported by The Associated Press.

Francis called for peace in Jerusalem and prayed that "that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two states within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders."

The Pope's address came just days after more than 120 countries voted in favor of a U.N. resolution urging the U.S. to reverse its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Following President Donald Trump's announcement about the decision, Francis called for the city's "status quo" to be respected to avert new tensions in the Middle East.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state, while Israel has contended that the whole city is its "united and eternal" capital.

In his Christmas message, the Pope also spoke about the other ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. He pointed out that Syria remains "marked by war" while Iraq has been "wounded and torn" by the conflict that has been taking place in the country for 15 years. He also lamented that the ongoing conflict in Yemen "has been largely forgotten."

The Pope also called on the faithful to see the baby Jesus in the faces of children who suffer most from war, migration and natural calamities.

"Today, as the winds of war are blowing in our world ... Christmas invites us to focus on the sign of the child and to recognize him in the faces of little children, especially those for whom, like Jesus, 'there is no place in the inn,'" he said.

The pontiff also called attention to the conflicts affecting children in South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Ukraine and Venezuela.

During the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, Francis came to the defense of immigrants, comparing them to Mary and Joseph, who found no place to stay in Bethlehem.