Pope Francis delivered his first Christmas mass as head of the Catholic Church with a call for peace and protection of the environment. Francis told a crowd of 70,000 at St. Peter’s Basilica to pray for peace in conflict-ridden areas, including Syria and South Sudan. He also preached outreach to atheists and called for protection of the environment from “greed and rapacity.”

Pope Francis: “Lord of heaven and earth, look upon our planet, frequently exploited by human greed and rapacity. Help and protect all the victims of natural disasters, especially the beloved people of the Philippines, gravely affected by the recent typhoon.”