Pope Leo XIV delivered his first ‘Urbi et Orbi’ Easter greeting from the balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday – Image: Remo Casilli/REUTERS
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff on Sunday. In the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, the American called for world leaders to wage peace, not war.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff on Sunday, greeting thousands of faithful Catholics at St. Peter’s Basilica and Square in Rome.
In his remarks, Pope Leo amplified his urgent plea for world leaders to abandon schemes of domination and power.
“Let those who have weapons lay them down!” said the head of the Catholic Church, “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!”
Without naming individual leaders, the US-born pope said, “On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars.”
An unflinching critic of war, especially the new US-Israeli war in Iran, Leo cautioned the faithful against “growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent.”
Thousands attended Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Square, the high point of the liturgical year for Catholics – Image: Remo Casilli/REUTERS
Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican marks the high point of the liturgical year for Catholics around the world, celebrating their belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his victory over death.
In his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, delivered from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo offered messages of Easter peace in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin.
Leo told those gathered that he would return to St. Peter’s to pray for peace at an upcoming vigil on Saturday.
DW.com/NAN 6 April 26
You might also like:
CLIMATE: From Easter Island to China’s Great Wall – UNESCO World Heritage sites facing the heat
From Easter Island to the Great Wall of China, many of the world’s most iconic cultural heritage sites are under threat from rising temperatures linked to climate change. While wars and revolutions have long threatened national cultural heritage sites — more…
