Pope Francis devotes his Easter message Urbi and Orbi to the call for peace worldwide, world disarmament and the release of prisoners.
By Francesca Merlo
Pope Francis devoted a large part of his pontificate to the call for peace. This year on Easter Sunday, when he delivered His message and his blessing Urbi and Orbi – For the city and in the world – has no exception.
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Division of the Foto Vatican Media)
From the loggia of the Saint-Pierre basilica, the Pope, who continues his recovery of bilateral pneumonia, praised the crowd gathered in a St Peter square filled with tulips. He then transmitted his text to be read by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of liturgical pontifical celebrations, and the Pope’s words struck proclaiming: “Christ is resurrected.”
“Christ, my hope, has increased,” said Pope Francis, calling on the faithful to turn their gaze towards the empty tomb. He spoke of the resurrection not as an abstract idea but as a living force – that which defies, heals and empowered.
“Today too,” he said, “he takes on him all the evil that oppresses us and transfigures him.”
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Division of the Foto Vatican Media)
“Love has triumphed over hatred, light on darkness and truth about lies. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge,” he said. “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. ”
But his words were not only a proclamation of faith – they were a cry for humanity, for humanity. The pope’s gaze, even at this moment of joy, did not move away from suffering.
Peace in the Holy Land and through the Middle East
He first spoke of the Holy Land, “injured by the conflict” and housing an “endless explosion of violence”. He extended his proximity, in particular, to the people of Gaza and the Christian community in the enclave where “the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation”.
“I appeal once again,” he said, “for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, for the release of hostages … and for access to humanitarian aid.”
His words once again called the international community to act and “come to the help of a hungry people who aspire to a future of peace”.
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Division of the Foto Vatican Media)
The Pope’s prayers have extended to Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, “currently experiencing a delicate transition in its history” and urged the whole Church “to keep Christians from the Middle East beloved in its thoughts and prayers”.
Then turning to Yemen, “experimenting with one of the most serious and prolonged humanitarian crises in the world because of the war”, Pope Francis invited all the people involved to find a solution “through a constructive dialogue”.
For healing of any political instability
For Ukraine, “devastated by war”, he invoked the gift of the Peace of the risen Christ. That all those involved, he said, continue efforts to “just and lasting peace”.
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Vatican Media)
He also talked about the southern Caucasus, where long -standing tensions are calling for urgent reconciliation. In particular, he prayed for a final peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and for healing in the region.
In the Western Balkans, Pope Francis prayed for Easter light to inspire leaders to calm tensions and reject the destabilizing actions which rather choose a path of harmony, with their neighbors.
For disarmament through Africa and freedom of religion
The African continent was also very present in the Pope’s Easter prayers.
His first call came for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, then for those of Sudan and South Sudan, and for those taken in the violence of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. “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”.
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Division of the Foto Vatican Media)
He prayed, especially for Christians unable to live their faith freely through the continent. “There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the opinions of others,” he said. And no peace, he added, without real disarmament.
Decompose the barriers that divide us
“Easter light pushes us to break the barriers that divide us,” said Pope Francis. These barriers are not only physical, but political, economic and spiritual. He called on nations to use their resources not for rearmament, but to fight hunger, to invest in development and to “take care of each other”.
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Vatican Media)
The Pope called on all those who occupy positions of political responsibility in our world not to give in to the logic of fear but to use our resources to help those who need it, “fight against hunger and encourage initiatives that promote development”. “These,” said the pope, “are the” weapons “of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing death seeds!”
Hope for the people of Myanmar
Pope Francis has not forgotten the inhabitants of Myanmar, who continue to undergo the effects of conflicts and, more recently, the devastating earthquake of sagaing. He expressed profound sadness for the thousands of deceased people, for the orphans and for the elderly people who remain. But he also remembered the hope that emerges from the land of conflict: “the announcement of a cease-fire,” he said, “is a sign of hope for the whole of myanmar”.
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Vatican Media)
For the release of prisoners
His final thought was that, in this year of the jubilee, Easter could also be an appropriate opportunity for the liberation of prisoners of war and political prisoners.
“What a beautiful thirst for death, for having killed, we are witnessing every day” decried the Pope, before praying: “that the principle of humanity never fails to be the brand brand of our daily actions”.
Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessings of Pope Francis (Division of the Foto Vatican Media)
Finally, the Pope pointed out that this Easter, the resurrected Christ “fills us with the certainty that we are also called to share the life that knows no end, when the shock of arms and the rumble of death will no longer be heard”.
