Pope Benedict XVI prayed for refugees and stateless people as well as those who help them during his weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square on Sunday.

"I entrust to the Lord those who are forced to leave their country or are stateless," the pontiff said in a short message to mark the upcoming 60th anniversary of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Benedict XVI called on pilgrims to show "solidarity" with refugees and said he prayed for "those who do their best to protect and help their brothers in emergency situations, exposing themselves to danger."

The IOM, based in Geneva, was founded in 1951 to help resettle people displaced by World War II. The intergovernmental organisation says it has since helped some 13 million refugees and migrants to settle in more than 125 countries.