Archbishop highlights plight of persecuted Christians

The Archbishop of Canterbury has used his first Christmas Day sermon to highlight "injustices" facing Britain's poor and victims of world conflicts.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, also condemned the treatment of Christian communities in the Middle East: "They are driven into exile from a region in which their presence has always been essential," he said.

"Even this morning, Christmas day, in Baghdad - where there have been Christians since the first century - a church was bombed and 15 more people testified to their faith in Jesus Christ with their lives."