The Pope delivers his annual Christmas Day blessing from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (see the insert)THE Pope led pleas by religious leaders for peace in the Middle East and an end to persecution in Iraq.
But as the Pope addressed huge crowds at the Vatican, violence against Christians marred the Christmas holiday.
Record crowds flocked to Bethlehem, and hundreds defied al-Qa'ida threats to pack Our Lady of Salvation cathedral in Baghdad for Christmas mass.
But seven explosions hit Jos in central Nigeria, killing 32 people and injured 74 late on Christmas Eve. In Maiduguri, in northern Nigeria, suspected members of an Islamist sect attacked three churches, burning one down and killing six people.
A bomb rocked a church on Jolo Island in The Philippines during Christmas mass, wounding six. The island is a bastion of Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to al-Qa'ida.
"May the love of God with us grant perseverance to all those Christian communities enduring discrimination and persecution, and inspire political and religious leaders to be committed to full respect for the religious freedom of all," the Pope said in his Christmas Day message at the Vatican
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"May the comforting message of the coming of Emmanuel ease the pain and bring consolation amid their trials to the beloved Christian communities in Iraq and throughout the Middle East."
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams also urged people to remember those facing persecution because of their Christian faith. "We may feel powerless to help; yet we should also know that people in such circumstances are strengthened simply by knowing they have not been forgotten," he said.
Christmas cheer was sorely tested in parts of Europe, where thousands of travellers were forced to spend the night in trains, barracks, ferries and airports as transport froze to a halt.
Weather also made life difficult for travellers in the US as airlines cancelled hundreds of flights. Parts of the south enjoyed a rare white Christmas, with snow in Nashville, Tennessee, and northern Alabama. Snow blanketed whole sections of the midwest, and a storm was predicted to bring more than 12.5cm of snow to the Washington DC region today.
US President Barack Obama made a surprise Christmas visit to a marine base to thank US troops for the sacrifices they had made.
He and his wife, Michelle, shook hands and hugged service members who had arrived for Christmas dinner at the mess hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
"Let's all remind (troops) this holiday season that we're thinking of them, and that America will forever be here for them, just as they've been there for us," t Mr Obama said in his holiday message. After dining with his family on steak, roasted potatoes, green beans and pie, the sport-obsessed President watched some NBA basketball.
Sport was also the unexpected focus of the Queen's Christmas Day message. Nineteen months before the London Olympics, the Queen pointed to October's Commonwealth Games as an example of how sport unites people.
The Queen celebrated Christmas with her family at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, and about 1000 people turned up on a frosty Christmas morning to see the royals as they went to church.
But they were denied a glimpse of Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton.
William, who is a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot, was on call in Wales, while Ms Middleton was with her family.
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