https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVtjQGWHoE4
Pope Francis dedicates his Easter Urbi et Orbi message to calling for peace worldwide, for global disarmament and for the release of prisoners.
by Francesca Merlo, reposted from Vatican News
Pope Francis has dedicated much of his pontificate to appealing for peace. This year on Easter Sunday, as he delivered his message and blessing Urbi et Orbi – to the city and to the world – was no exception.
Pope: Easter faith spurs us to seek the risen Lord with hope and joy
From the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica, the Pope, who continues his recovery from bilateral pneumonia, greeted the crowds gathered in a tulip-filled St Peter’s Square. He then passed on his text to be read by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, and the Pope’s words rang out proclaiming: “Christ is risen.”
“Christ, my hope, has risen,” Pope Francis announced, calling on the faithful to turn their gaze to the empty tomb. He spoke of the resurrection not as an abstract idea but as a living force — one that challenges, heals, and empowers.
“Today too,” he said, “he takes upon himself all the evil that oppresses us and transfigures it.”
“Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness, and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge,” he said. “Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.”
But his words were not just a proclamation of faith – they were a cry to humankind, for humanity. The Pope’s gaze, even in this moment of joy, did not stray from the suffering.
Peace in the Holy Land and across the Middle East
He spoke first of the Holy Land, “wounded by conflict,” and home to an “endless outburst of violence.” He extended his closeness, in particular, to the people of Gaza and to 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 ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, for the release of the hostages… and for access to humanitarian aid.”
His words once again called on the international community to act and “come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”
The Pope’s prayers extended to the Christian communities in Lebanon and in Syria, “presently experiencing a delicate transition in its history,” and urged the whole Church “to keep the Christians of the beloved Middle East in its thoughts and prayers.”
Turning then to Yemen, “experiencing one of the world’s most serious and prolonged humanitarian crises because of war,” Pope Francis invited all those involved to find a solution “through a constructive dialogue.”
For healing from all political instability
For Ukraine, “devastated by war,” he invoked the Risen Christ’s gift of peace. May all involved, he said, continue efforts toward a “just and lasting peace.”
He spoke, too, of the South Caucasus, where long-standing tensions call 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 that the Easter light inspire leaders to calm tensions and reject destabilising actions choosing instead a path of harmony, together with their neighbors.
For disarmament across Africa and freedom of religion
The African continent, too, was very present in the Pope’s Easter prayers.
His first appeal came for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then for those of Sudan and South Sudan, and for those caught in the violence of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes region. “In the face of the cruelty of conflicts that involve defenceless civilians and attack schools, hospitals and humanitarian workers, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is not targets that are struck, but persons, each possessed of a soul and human dignity.”
He prayed, especially, for Christians unable to live their faith freely across the continent. “There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and respect for the views of others,” he said. And no peace, he added, without true disarmament.
Break down the barriers that divide us
“The light of Easter impels us to break down the barriers that divide us,” Pope Francis said. These barriers are not only physical, but political, economic, and spiritual. He called on nations to use their resources not for rearmament, but to combat hunger, invest in development, and “care for one another.”
The Pope appealed to all those who hold positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear but to use our resources to help those in need, “to fight hunger and encourage initiatives that promote development.” “These,” the Pope said, “are the ‘weapons’ of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!”
Hope for the people of Myanmar
Pope Francis did not forget the people of Myanmar, who continue to suffer the effects of conflict and, most recently, the devastating earthquake in Sagaing. He expressed deep sorrow for the thousands who have died, for orphans, and for the elderly who remain. But he also remembered the hope that is emerging from the strife-ridden land: “The announcement of a ceasefire,” he said, “is a sign of hope for the whole of Myanmar.”
For the release of prisoners
His final thought was that, in this Jubilee year, Easter may also be a fitting occasion for the liberation of prisoners of war and political prisoners.
“What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day” decried the Pope, before praying: “May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions.”
Finally, the Pope emphasised that this Easter, the Risen Christ “fills us with the certainty that we too are called to share in the life that knows no end, when the clash of arms and the rumble of death will be heard no more.”
Pope: Easter faith spurs us to seek the risen Lord with hope and joy
Celebrating the joy of Easter during the morning Mass in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis in his homily calls on us to hasten to seek the risen Lord, like the first disciples, and to renew the gift of hope within us, sharing with those we meet along our life journey.
by Thaddeus Jones, reposted from Vatican News
Presiding over the Easter morning Mass on behalf of Pope Francis, Italian Cardinal Angelo Comastri welcomed the over fifty thousand faithful gathered in a flower-filled Saint Peter’s Square. The flowers are provided by Dutch florists and this year marks the 39th anniversary of doing so. Tens of thousands of flowers of every sort adorned Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica in an intricate, colorful layout.
Cardinal Comastri, Archpriest emeritus of Saint Peter’s Basilica and Vicar General emeritus of Vatican City, led the liturgy in the Square and read the homily of Pope Francis prepared for the occasion.
Haste in looking for the Lord
Recalling how Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John all made haste in discovering and witnessing the empty tomb, Pope Francis said this “running” to see what happened may reflect not only a concern the Lord’s body had been taken way, but a desire, “the yearning of the heart, the inner attitude of those who set out to search for Jesus.” The Lord has risen from the dead and “we must look for him elsewhere.”
Actively seeking the risen Christ
The message of Easter is precisely that “Christ is risen, he is alive!” the Pope emphasized, “no longer a prisoner of death.” This requires that we “take action,” he said, setting out to find the Lord in our lives, in our brothers and sisters, in our everyday experiences — “everywhere except in the tomb.”
“Christ is present everywhere, he dwells among us, he hides himself and reveals himself even today in the sisters and brothers we meet along the way, in the most ordinary and unpredictable situations of our lives. He is alive and is with us always, shedding the tears of those who suffer and adding to the beauty of life through the small acts of love carried out by each of us.”
Welcoming the Lord into our lives
Easter faith opens the door to encountering the risen Lord and welcoming him into our lives, the Pope continued. This reality of Easter “spurs us to action,” he emphasized, “to run like Mary Magdalene and the disciples” to seek and meet the Lord, to have eyes that “see beyond” and to experience Jesus as “the one who lives” and is present with us today, going before us, helping us, surprising us.
“Like Mary Magdalene, every day we can experience losing the Lord, but every day we can also run to look for him again, with the certainty that he will allow himself to be found and will fill us with the light of his resurrection.”
Experiencing life’s greatest hope
“Brothers and sisters, this is the greatest hope of our life: we can live this poor, fragile and wounded existence clinging to Christ, because he has conquered death, he conquers our darkness and he will conquer the shadows of the world, to make us live with him in joy, forever.”
Renewing and sharing hope
“The Jubilee invites us to renew the gift of hope within us, to surrender our sufferings and our concerns to hope, to share it with those whom we meet along our journey and to entrust to hope the future of our lives and the destiny of the human family.”
The Pope in his homily said we should not settle for the fleeting things of this world or give into sadness, but instead “we must run, filled with joy” in meeting the Lord and rediscovering “the inestimable grace of being his friends
“Sisters, brothers, in the wonder of the Easter faith, carrying in our hearts every expectation of peace and liberation, we can say: with You, O Lord, everything is new. With you, everything begins again.”
Watch the full video of the Easter Mass and Urbi et Orbi Blessing —
The Pope’s Agenda
Activities of the Holy Father Pope Francis
reposted from Vatican.va, April 22, 2025
April 26 — Saturday, 10:00 a.m.
St. Peter’s Square
Funeral Mass of the Roman Pontiff Francis
Funeral liturgy presided over by His Reverend Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.
April 23 — Wednesday, 9:00 a.m.
Translation of the Coffin of the Roman Pontiff Francis into the Vatican Basilica
April 21 — Monday, 8:00 p.m.
Testament of the Holy Father Francis
TESTAMENT OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
Miserando atque Eligendo
In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
As I sense that the twilight of my earthly life is approaching, and with firm hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my final wishes regarding my burial place.
I have always entrusted my life and priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest, awaiting the day of resurrection, in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
I wish that my final earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian shrine, where I go to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey to faithfully entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and to give thanks for her gentle and maternal care.
I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica, as indicated in the enclosed plan.
The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, and bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.
The expenses for the preparation of my burial will be covered by a benefactor and the sum will be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the appropriate instructions to Monsignor Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Chapter.
May the Lord grant the deserved reward to those who have wished me well and will continue to pray for me. The suffering that marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples.
Domus Sanctae Marthae, 29 June 2022
FRANCIS
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