Peace wishes ring in Christmas, but typhoon dampens joy in Philippines

Christmas celebrations kicked off around the world on Wednesday, with Christian leaders sending messages of peace, while festivities were muted for Filipinos battered by a typhoon, as well as in strike-bound France.

Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby sent wishes of "peace and prosperity" to South Sudan as negotiations faltered between the African country's government and rebels.

The spiritual leaders of more than 1.3 billion Christians said they were praying "for a renewed commitment to the path of reconciliation and fraternity" in the world's newest nation.

Typhoon Phanfone meanwhile brought a wet, miserable and terrifying holiday season to the central Philippines, stranding tens of thousands of people.

In France, Christmas was a gloomy affair for many, as a crippling transport strike against pension reform was set to enter its fourth week, ruining the plans of many to gather with family and friends.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrived for the annual Christmas Day service in Sandringham without her ailing husband Prince Philip, 98, who was released from hospital after a four-night stay for an unspecified illness.

But she was accompanied by Prince Andrew, her scandal-plagued second son, whose disastrous attempts to distance himself from American convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's victims have backfired.

Pope Francis, in his Christmas Eve homily late Tuesday, said the celebration of Jesus's birth reminded humanity how "God continues to love us all, even the worst of us".

The pontiff told crowds gathered at the Vatican: "You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you."
"On the other side, when I visit families, parishes, communities, I see a lot of commitment... for the future. Christmas is for us to celebrate the hope."