Pope Francis laments wars, injustices that 'ruined' 2017

VATICAN CITY – Bidding 2017 farewell, Pope Francis on Sunday decried wars, injustices, social and environmental degradation and other man-made ills which he said spoiled the year.

Francis presided at a New Year's Eve prayer service in St. Peter's Basilica, a traditional occasion to say thanks in each year's last hours.

In his homily, the pope said God gave to us a "whole and sound" year, but "we humans in so many ways ruined and hurt it with works of death, with lies and injustices."

"The wars are the flagrant sign of this repeated and absurd pride," he said. "But so are all the little and big offenses against life, truth, brotherhood, that cause multiple forms of human, social and environmental degradation."