ROME — Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI called on Tuesday for religious freedom in China and peace for the “defenseless” in Syria in his annual Christmas Day message.

“May peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenseless and reaps innocent victims,” Benedict said. “I appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict.”

Wearing a short red cape lined with snow-white ermine and trimmed with gold embroidery, Benedict smiled as he offered Christmas greetings in 65 languages to thousands of the faithful inSt. Peter’s Square. Marching bands from the Italian armed forces and the Carabinieri police played festive anthems. During Christmas Eve Mass on Monday evening, the 85-year-old pontiff had appeared tired and his voice hoarse, but on Tuesday he appeared more vivacious as he delivered the traditional message, “Urbi et Orbi,” to the city and the world.

He also addressed China, where in recent weeks the Vatican has been increasingly at odds with the government over the ordination of bishops, who cannot hold office without approval from the authorities, to the dismay of the Vatican.

“May the King of Peace turn his gaze to the new leaders of the People’s Republic of China for the high task which awaits them,” Benedict said. “I express my hope that, in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble people and of the whole world.”

Aggravating tensions, the Chinese Catholic Bishops Council, a government entity, stripped Thaddeus Ma Daqin, 45, the auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, of his title this month, according to Catholic websites that cited sources in the Chinese church.

The bishop had been under house arrest since he shocked Communist Party officials and his faithful by renouncing his government position during his consecration in July. In recent years, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which does not recognize the authority of the pope, has consecrated a number of bishops over the Vatican’s objections, resulting in their excommunication.

On Tuesday, Benedict asked God to give Israelis and Palestinians the “courage to end long years of conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path of negotiation,” and he called for peace in Egypt, the “land where the Redeemer was born.”

The pope also urged “the return of peace in Mali and that of concord in Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly among Christians.” He prayed for “the refugees from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” and for peace in Kenya, “where brutal attacks have struck the civilian population and places of worship.”

On Monday evening, communicating through his new Twitter handle, @pontifex, Benedict recalled that as a boy he loved his family’s Christmas creche, and he asked his followers what their favorite Christmas traditions were.

“The cribs that we built in our home gave me much pleasure,” his message read. “We added figures each year and used moss for decoration.”

In the ancient Bethlehem church built over the site where tradition holds Jesus was born, candles illuminated the sacred site and the joyous sound of prayer filled its overflowing halls.

Overcast skies and a cold wind in the Holy Land didn’t dampen the spirits of worshipers in the biblical West Bank town. Bells pealed and long lines formed inside the fourth century Church of the Nativity complex as Christian faithful waited to see the grotto that is Jesus’ traditional birthplace.

Duncan Hardock, 24, a writer from MacLean, Va., traveled to Bethlehem from the republic of Georgia, where he had been teaching English. After passing through the separation barrier Israel built to ward off West Bank attackers, he walked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square where the church stands.

“I feel we got to see both sides of Bethlehem in a really short period of time,” Hardock said. “On our walk from the wall, we got to see the lonesome, closed side of Bethlehem. ... But the moment we got into town, we’re suddenly in the middle of the party.”

Bethlehem lies six miles south of Jerusalem. Entry to the city is controlled by Israel.

For those who couldn’t fit into the cavernous Bethlehem church, a loudspeaker outside broadcast the Christmas service to hundreds of faithful in the square.

Their Palestinian hosts, who welcome this holiday as the high point of their city’s year, were especially joyous this season, proud of the United Nations’ recognition of an independent state of Palestinejust last month.

“From this holy place, I invite politicians and men of good will to work with determination for peace and reconciliation that encompasses Palestine and Israel in the midst of all the suffering in theMiddle East,” said the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, in his annual address.

In Britain, the royal family was attending Christmas Day church services at St. Mary Magdelene Church on Queen Elizabeth II’s sprawling Sandringham estate, though there were a few notable absences. Prince William is spending the holiday with his pregnant wife, Kate, and his in-laws in the southern England village of Bucklebury, while Prince Harry is serving with British troops in Afghanistan.

Later Tuesday, the queen delivered her traditional, prerecorded Christmas message, which for the first time was broadcast in 3D. She paid tribute to the armed forces, “whose sense of duty takes them awayfrom family and friends” over the holidays, and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of enthusiasm for her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

At Canterbury Cathedral, Anglican leader Rowan Williams delivered his final Christmas Day sermon as archbishop of Canterbury. He acknowledged how the church’s General Synod’s vote against allowing women to become bishops had cost credibility and said the faithful felt a “real sense of loss” over the decision.

In the U.S., the Rev. Jesse Jackson brought his message of anti-violence and gun control to a Chicago jail, using his traditional Christmas Day sermon at the facility to challenge inmates to help get guns off the streets.

“We’ve all been grieving about the violence in Newtown, Connecticut, the last few days,” he told reporters after addressing inmates, referring to the school shooting that killed 26 children and adults. “Most of those here today ... have either shot somebody or been shot. We’re recruiting them to help us stop the flowof guns.”

In South Africa, a scaleddown version of an annual Christmas tradition was held by Nelson Mandela’s family, drawing hundreds of local children, though the celebration’s 94-year-old founder could not attend because he is in hospital care.

President Jacob Zuma, meanwhile, joined Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, and other family members to wish a Merry Christmas to Mandela at his hospital bedside in Pretoria, the South African capital.

Information for this article was contributed by Rachel Donadio of The New York Times and by Frances D’emilio, Dalia Nammari, Cassandra Vinograd, Sophia Tareen, Vukile Pokwana and Christopher Torchia of The Associated Press.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 12/26/2012