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The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics said he hoped for "peace to those who have lost a person dear to them as a result of brutal acts of terrorism", just days after the truck attack that left 12 dead at a Berlin Christmas market.

Addressing tens of thousands of worshippers gathered at the Vatican to hear the pontiff give his fourth "Urbi et Orbi" (To the City and The World) message, Francis said "far too much blood has been spilled" in Syria's nearly six-year war.

"It is time for weapons to be still forever, and the international community to actively seek a negotiated solution," the pontiff told the crowds from the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica.

He also urged Israelis and Palestinians – the people of the "land chosen and favoured by God" – to "have the courage and the determination to write a new page of history, where hate and revenge give way to the will to build together a future of mutual understanding and harmony."

The Pope also urged peace in Iraq, Libya and Yemen – "where their peoples suffer war and the brutality of terrorism" – and expressed hope for an end to conflicts in Africa, including in Nigeria and South Sudan.

The Catholic leader also offered his thoughts to victims of terrorism, stating "peace to those who have lost a person dear to them as a result of brutal acts of terrorism, and to those who have sown fear and death into the hearts of so many countries and cities."