Pope Francis, in year-end message, says 2017 was marred by war and lies

At his last public event of the year, an evening vespers service in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pontiff said that humanity had “wasted and wounded” the year “in many ways with works of death, with lies and injustices”.

While war was the most obvious sign of “unrepentant and absurd pride”, many other transgressions had caused “human, social and environmental degradation”.

“We must take responsibility for everything before God, our brothers and our creation,” he said.