Pope Francis has prayed for protection for the victims of recent storms in the Philippines and Vietnam in his Christmas day message.

“May the King of Heaven protect all victims of natural disasters in Southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines and Vietnam, where numerous storms have caused flooding, with devastating repercussions on families in terms of loss of life, harm to the environment and consequences for local economies,” the Pope said.

RELATED STORY: Pope Francis expresses solidarity to Filipinos affected by typhoons

The country was battered by a series of consecutive storms including Super Typhoon Rolly and the devastating Typhoon Ulysses.

The Catholic leader also called on for equal access of the coronavirus vaccine.

“Today, in this time of darkness and uncertainty regarding the pandemic, various lights of hope appear, such as the discovery of vaccines. But for these lights to illuminate and bring hope to all, they need to be available to all,” Francis said. (TDT)

READ ON: Pope Francis: Rich people should not be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine