Frail Pope delivers Christmas message

The Pope has been delivering his customary Christmas message to the world from a Vatican balcony overlooking a crowded St Peter's Square in Rome.

In a wide-ranging sermon, the Pope said men and women should listen to the imploring cries for freedom from those suffering ethnic and political violence -- an apparent reference to conflicts in Africa and the Balkans.

However, attention was focussed not on his message but on his health -- he's seventy-seven and has suffered a series of illness and mishaps in recent years.

Correspondents say he looked frail and his words were slurred and difficult to understand.

Elsewhere, at the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the west bank town of Bethlehem, traditional observances have been taking place attended by thousands of pilgrims.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service