The pontiff said Sunday he was "saddened" by news reports claiming that people were flying abroad to have fun amid the pandemic.

"They are good people, but they didn't think about those who were staying at home, of the economic problems of many people who have been hit hard by the lockdown, of the sick people," Pope Francis said Sunday.

"[They thought] only about going on holiday and having fun. This pained me a lot," the Pope said at the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer.

Pope Francis held his Sunday prayers from the Apostolic Palace library, rather than from the usual window overlooking St. Peter's Square where crowds would usually gather, in order to limit the spread of the virus.

Many countries around the world are facing renewed lockdowns and travel restrictions, with 84 million people now infected by the virus. At least 1.83 million people have died, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Renewing his best wishes for the New Year, Pope Francis said: "What each of us -- and all of us together -- can do is commit ourselves a little more to take care of each other and of what was created, our common home."

In the past, the Pope has also criticized people who refuse to wear masks or who protest against coronavirus restrictions, commenting that they move in "their own little world of interests."

This year, the pontiff used his Christmas message to say that coronavirus vaccines must be available for all, and pleaded with states to cooperate in the race to emerge from the pandemic.

"Today, in this time of darkness and uncertainty during the pandemic, different lights of hope appear, like the discovery of the vaccines ... they must be available to everyone," the Pope said during his traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message at the Vatican.