Amen to that

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, ushering in his first Christmas as Pontiff, on Sunday urged the world's Catholics to be beacons of peace in a troubled world and offered a special prayer for an end to strife in the Holy Land.

The 78-year-old German-born Pope, who was elected last April 19 to succeed Pope John Paul, celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve mass in St Peter's Basilica to lead the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into one of the holiest seasons of the year.

"Where there is love, light shines forth in the world; where there is hatred, the world remains in darkness," he said in his homily before the congregation in a packed basilica.