Pope issues call to battle terror, poverty
By Philip Pullella
REUTERS NEWS AGENCY
December 26, 2005

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI, in his first Christmas address as pontiff, yesterday urged humanity to unite against terrorism, poverty and environmental blight and called for a "new world order" to correct economic imbalances.

The pope spoke to tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered under umbrellas in a rainy St. Peter's Square for his "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and the World") message and blessing.

In his address, telecast live from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to tens of millions of people in nearly 40 countries, Benedict also urged his listeners not to let technological achievements blind them to true human values.

He said humanity should look to the Christ child for encouragement in times of difficulty and fear. the rest