Pope Francis' Easter Message: A Call for Peace and Humanity

The voice is weak but the message is powerful. "Let's not allow the increasingly strong winds of war to blow over Europe and the Mediterranean. Do not give in to the logic of arms and rearmament. Peace is never built with weapons, but by reaching out and opening hearts." Pope Francis appears from the Loggia of Blessings of St. Peter's Basilica and spreads the urbi et orbi message to the world, a rooted Easter tradition to announce the resurrection and offer a global reflection to all people of good will. Coming from the long Mass on the parvis that he presided over this morning while remaining seated on his chair, Bergoglio appeared physically recovering and more determined than ever to take charge of the victims of ongoing conflicts. He thus asks for the release of the 130 Israeli hostages still in the hands of Hamas, a ceasefire in Gaza, a call for respect for the principles of international law, and - he adds - "a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for all!". The list may also include the American Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist arrested in Russia since the Cold War. The crowd explodes into spontaneous applause twice. "War is always a defeat." Pope Francis renounces (again) the Way of the Cross: "I need to preserve my health for the Easter Mass." "May the Risen Christ open a path of peace for the tormented populations of many regions." Pope Francis is greeted by the crowd with a roar. Before appearing on the Loggia, he took a ride on the popemobile throughout the entire square, traveling along the crowded Via della Conciliazione. The first thing he wants to highlight in the Easter reflection are the tribulations of the Palestinians in Gaza crammed into refugee camps: "I appeal again for the possibility of access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, urging once again for the prompt release of the hostages kidnapped last October 7 and for an immediate ceasefire in the Strip." He asks for a less hardened view of the condition of children. "Let's not allow the ongoing hostilities to continue to have serious repercussions on the civilian population, now exhausted, and especially on children. How much suffering we see in their eyes. With their gaze they ask us: why? Why so much death? Why so much destruction? War is always an absurdity and a defeat!" Father Ibrahim Faltas: "I tell you about the sad Easter of Christians in the Holy Land," fear and loneliness reign. In the message, he then remembers Syria, which "for fourteen years has suffered the consequences of a long and devastating war" waiting for "answers from everyone, including the international community," Lebanon, the first talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Kivu Region. His overall view does not overlook migrants, poor families, those in situations of tribulation. Finally, a call to the gift of life, "often so despised. How many children cannot even see the light? How many die of hunger or lack essential care or are victims of abuse and violence? How many lives are objectified for the growing trade in human beings?" At the Easter Mass, a curious incident caught the attention of the Pope and photographers. The large icon depicting the Risen Christ, due to a stronger gust of wind than the others, fell to the ground. Pope Francis looked a bit perplexed at the scene while two attendants immediately intervened to straighten up the Risen Jesus a few meters from his chair. Tomorrow, Monday of the Angel, Pope Francis will appear for the Angelus at St. Peter's then he will have to recover some energy at Santa Marta and get completely back on his feet to be able to make the trip to Venice, on April 28 where he is expected for the Art Biennale. An Israeli soldier was stabbed in Beer Sheva, the attacker killed: panic at the bus station. Negotiations on the truce resume today.