By Pope Francis
CNA Newsroom, April 20, 2025/06:48 am
On Sunday 2025 Easter, Pope Francis did not give his speech in person, although he briefly praised the faithful with a brief “brothers and sisters, Happy Easter”.
The Pope’s Traditio, “Urbi et Orbi”, was read by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of liturgical pontifical celebrations, like the 88 -year -old pontiff, still convalescence, was present but physically limited. Pope Francis briefly blessed the crowd after reading the message.
“Urbi et Orbi” means “for the city (of Rome) and for the world”. It is a special apostolic blessing given by the Pope every year on Easter Sunday, Christmas and other special occasions.
Here is the full text of the Pope’s message:
Christ is resurrected, Alleluia!
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter!
Today, finally, the song of “the alleluia” is heard once again in the church, moving from mouth to mouth, heart to heart, which means that the people of God in the world have shed tears of joy.
From the empty grave of Jerusalem, we hear good unexpected news: Jesus, who was crucified, “is not there, he increased” (Lk 24: 5). Jesus is not in the grave, he is alive!
Love has triumphed over hatred, light on darkness and truth about lies. Pardon has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; He will stay until the end, but he no longer has the upper hand; He has no more power over those who accept the grace of this day.
Sisters and brothers, in particular those of you experiencing pain and sorrow, your silent cry has been heard and your tears have been counted; None of them were lost! In the passion and the death of Jesus, God took on him all the evil in this world and in his infinite mercy defeated him. He uprooted the diabolical pride which poisons the human heart and produced violence and corruption on each side. God’s lamb is victorious! This is why, today, we can cheerfully shout: “Christ, my hope, has increased!” (Easter sequence).
The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope. Because in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion. Thanks to Christ – Crucified and resurrected from the dead – Hope is not disappointed! SPES not confident! (Cf. Novel 5: 5). This hope is not an escape, but a challenge; It does not deceive, but empowers us.
All those who put their hope in God place their weak hands in his strong and powerful hand; They allowed themselves to be raised and embarked on a trip. With the risen Jesus, they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses to the victory of love and the disarmed power of life.
Christ is resurrected! These words capture all the meaning of our existence, because we were not made for death but for life. Easter is the celebration of life! God has created us for life and wants the human family to come up! In his eyes, each life is precious! The life of a child in the mother’s uterus, as well as the life of the elderly and the sick, who, in more and more countries, are considered to be rejecting.
What a beautiful thirst for death, to kill, we are witnessing every day in the many conflicts that are raging in different parts of our world! How many violence we see, often even within families, intended for women and children! How many contempt is sometimes aroused towards vulnerable, marginalized and migrants!
That day, I would like us to hope for again and to revive our confidence in others, including those who are different from ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing customs, lifestyles and unknown ideas! For all of us, we are children of God!
I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible! From the Holy Sepulcher, the resurrection church, where this Easter year is celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox on the same day, that the light of peace radiates in the Holy Land and the whole world. I express my proximity to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all Israelis and to the Palestinian people. The growing climate of anti -Semitism in the world is worrying. However, at the same time, I think of the people of Gaza, and of their Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation. I appeal to the games at war: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come with the help of a hungry people who aspire to a future of peace!
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Pray for Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, currently experiencing a delicate transition in its history. They aspire to stability and participation in the life of their respective nations. I urge the whole Church to keep Christians from the beloved Middle East in its thoughts and prayers.
I also think in particular of the inhabitants of Yemen, who live one of the most serious and prolonged humanitarian crises in the world because of the war, and I invite everything to find solutions thanks to a constructive dialogue.
May the resurrected Christ of Ukraine, devastated by the war, his gift of Easter of peace, and encourage all the parties involved in pursuing efforts aimed at making a just and lasting peace.
On this festive day, let us remember the South Caucasus and pray for a final peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be signed and implemented, and will lead to long-awaited reconciliation in the region.
That Easter light inspires efforts to promote harmony in Western Balkans and support political leaders in their efforts to ease tensions and crises, and, with their partner countries of the region, to reject dangerous and destabilizing actions.
May the resurrected Christ, our hope, grant peace and consolation to African peoples victims of violence and conflict, in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan. May he support those who suffer from the tensions of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the region of the Great Lakes, as well as Christians who, in many places, are unable to freely profess their faith.
There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the opinions of others.
Peace is not possible either without the real disarmament! The requirement that each people ensures their own defense must not turn into a race to rearm. Easter light pushes us to break the barriers that create a division and are heavy with serious political and economic consequences. This drives us to take care of each other, to increase our mutual solidarity and to work for the integral development of each human person.
Meanwhile, let’s not fail to help the inhabitants of Myanmar, plagued by long years of armed conflict, which, with courage and patience, suffer from the consequences of the devastating earthquake of sagaing, which caused the death of thousands of people and great sufferings for the many survivors, including orphans and old ones. We pray for the victims and their loved ones, and we warmly thank all the generous volunteers carrying out the rescue operations. The announcement of a cease-fire by various actors in the country is a sign of hope for the entire Myanmar.
I appeal to all those who occupy positions of political responsibility in our world not to give in to the logic of fear, which only leads to the isolation of others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight against hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the “weapons” of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing death seeds!
That the principle of humanity never fails to be the brand brand of our daily actions. Faced with cruelty to conflicts that involve defenseless civilians and attack schools, hospitals and humanitarian workers, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that these are not targets that are struck, but people, each with a human soul and dignity.
During this year of the jubilee, Easter is also an appropriate opportunity for the release of prisoners of war and political prisoners!
Dear brothers and sisters,
In the Lord’s Pascal Mystery, death and life supported themselves in a formidable struggle, but the Lord now lives forever (cf. Easter sequence). He fills us with certainty that we are also called to share the life that knows no end, when the shock of weapons and the rumble of death will no longer be heard. Let us let him go to him, because he alone can make everything new (cf. Round. 21: 5)!
Happy Easter to everyone!
He was ordered a priest on December 13, 1969. In 1973, he made his perpetual wishes in the society of Jesus and the same year was elected Jesuit provincial for Argentina. He would continue to serve as a rector of the seminar, pastor, professor and spiritual director.
In 1992, Fr. Bergoglio was devoted to an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. He became Archbishop Coadjutor of the Archdiocese in 1997 and succeeded as the archbishop the following year. St. John Paul II appointed Archbishop Bergoglio Un Cardinal in 2001.
As president of the Conference of Argentina bishops from 2005 to 2011, Bergoglio attended the fifth episcopal conference in Latin America which was held in Aparecida, Brazil, in May 2007.
He was in charge of writing the final document of the meeting, which has become the Aparecida document, recognized as an important master document for the Church in Latin America and beyond.
On March 13, 2013, Bergoglio was elected to the Papacy, at the age of 76. He was the first Jesuit and the first Latin America to become a pope.
