Pope laments Mid-East violence

In his Christmas day address, the Pope said he was thinking with "great concern of the Holy Land, where violence continues to stain with blood the difficult path to peace". His intervention comes as Palestinians and Israelis mull over the latest proposal for peace from US President Bill Clinton. The Pope, who will be 81 next May, insisted on celebrating mass in the open air, rather than inside St Peter's Basilica, to enable more pilgrims to attend. St Peter's can only hold a maximum of 8,000 people, while the square can accommodate more than 100,000. About 40,000 people gathered on the square for the mass - fewer than expected, due to the persistent rain. The pontiff read his homily in a clear, strong voice, and celebrated the mass from an altar covered with a canopy and protected on two sides by sheets of glass.