Pope Francis imparts a plenary blessing ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (to the city and to the world) from the central lodge of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican at the end of Easter Sunday Mass 2023.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
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Pope Francis imparts a plenary blessing ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (to the city and to the world) from the central lodge of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican at the end of Easter Sunday Mass 2023.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
VATICAN CITY — In an Easter message highlighting hope, Pope Francis on Sunday invoked prayers for both the people of Ukraine and Russia, praising countries that welcome refugees and calling out Israelis and Palestinians are being ravaged by the latest wave of deadly violence to create a “climate of trust”. .”
Pope Francis, along with dozens of prelates and tens of thousands of faithful, celebrated Easter Mass in St Peter’s Square decorated with flowers, affirming the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified.
The 86-year-old pope topped the celebration with a traditional speech about troubled parts of the world. Encouraging “faith among individuals, peoples and nations,” Pope Francis said the joy of Easter “illuminates the darkness and gloom in which our world is so often enveloped “.
The pope’s Easter message is known by its Latin name “Urbi et Orbi,” which means “to the city and to the world.”
Since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, Pope Francis has repeatedly called for an end to the fighting and sought prayers for Ukrainian “martyrs”.
Ukrainian diplomats have complained that he has not been tough enough in his statements about Russia and especially Russian President Vladimir Putin as the Vatican tries to distance itself from Moscow.
“Help dear Ukrainians on their journey towards peace, and shine the light of Easter on the Russian people,” Pope Francis pleaded with the Lord in his Easter address, which he read as sitting on a chair on the central balcony of St. Basilica across from the square: “Consoling the wounded and all those who have lost loved ones to the war, and granting that prisoners may return unharmed to their families.”
Pope Francis rides in a wheelchair to St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, where he will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
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Pope Francis rides in a wheelchair to St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, where he will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
He called on the international community to work together to end the war in Ukraine and “all the conflict and bloodshed in the world, starting with Syria, where peace still awaits.”
Pope Francis also prayed for those who lost loved ones in the earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkey two months ago, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.
With an increase in deadly violence affecting both Israelis and Palestinians in recent days, Pope Francis called for a “resumption of dialogue, in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, between Israelis”. and the Palestinians, so that peace may reign in the Holy City and in the entire region,” referring to Jerusalem.
But Francis also noted progress on several fronts.
“Let us rejoice at the concrete signs of hope that come to us from so many countries, starting with those that offer assistance and welcome all those fleeing war and poverty. hungry,” he said, without naming any specific countries.
How to take care of asylum seekers, migrants and refugees, and whether to allow them in, is a fierce political and social debate in much of Europe, as well as in the United States and elsewhere.
Pope Francis also prayed that national leaders “make sure that no man or woman can experience discrimination” and that there will be “full respect for human rights and democracy.”
With migrants risking their lives in smugglers’ unseaworthy boats in the hope of reaching Europe, the Pope lamented that the people of Tunisia, especially the young, are being struggling with economic and social difficulties.
Over the past two weeks, dozens of people have died or gone missing after attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Tunisia.
The Pope listed Lebanon and the two African countries he has visited this year – South Sudan and Congo – among the countries that need to end division and build reconciliation.
Speaking about Haiti, he called on “political actors and the international community to seek a definitive solution to the many problems that affect people who are being severely tested.”
Pope Francis boarded his popemobile at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican at the end of Easter Sunday Mass.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
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Pope Francis boarded his popemobile at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican at the end of Easter Sunday Mass.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
The bloody conflicts cited by Francis contrast with the chaos of bright colors lent by orange-red tulips, forsythia and daffodils, hyacinths and full-blossed seasonal blooms Other colors are decorated on St. Peter’s Square. The flowers were transported by truck from the Netherlands.
At the end of the pope’s appearance, about 100,000 people flocked to the square in time for the pope’s address, according to Vatican crowd numbers.
A canopy at the edge of the square’s steps sheltered the pope, who reappeared in public at Mass 12 hours after the 2.25-hour Easter vigil at the Basilica Saint Peter the night before.
Francis was hospitalized from March 29 to April 1 to be treated for bronchitis. Still recovering, he skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum due to unusually cold nighttime temperatures.
Near the end of an apparition that lasted more than two hours on Easter Sunday, Francis seemed exhausted. His voice became hoarse and at one point he interrupted his speech to cough.
However, he made a few laps through the square in the papal car after Mass, waving and smiling at the cheering crowd.
