Easter message: Pope Francis makes plea for peace

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis made a plea for peace in his annual Easter message in front of more than 50,000 people at Vatican City on Sunday.

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The pontiff, 85, speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square, asked for peace in the “senseless” war in Ukraine and other areas of the world, referencing the “troubling” possibility of nuclear war.

“We have seen all too much blood, all too much violence,” Francis said during his Urbi et Orbi blessing. “Our hearts, too, have been filled with fear and anguish, as so many of our brothers and sisters have had to lock themselves away in order to be safe from bombing.”

The pope’s message came after he celebrated Easter Mass in the square, which was packed with people for the holiday, the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, The Associated Press reported.

In 2020 and 2021, Francis celebrated Easter Mass inside the Basilica, the first time with no congregation and the second time with a small group of the faithful, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Applause came from many of the people when Francis mentioned Ukraine.

“May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged. In this terrible night of suffering and death, may a new dawn of hope soon appear. Let there be a decision for peace,” the pope said. “May there be an end to the flexing of muscles while people are suffering. Please, please, let us not get used to war. Let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace, from our balconies and in our streets. Peace. May the leaders of nations hear people’s plea for peace.”

The pope’s reference to nuclear war came from a 1955 manifesto by philosopher Bertrand Russell and scientist Albert Einstein that warned of the danger posed by nuclear weapons, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war? Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war?” the pontiff said.

The pope also mentioned conflicts in the Middle East and prayed for peace for the citizens of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.

“May there be peace and reconciliation for the peoples of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and in particular for all the Christian communities of the Middle East,” Francis said. May there be peace also for Libya, so that it may find stability after years of tensions, and for Yemen, which suffers from a conflict forgotten by all, with continuous victims: may the truce signed in recent days restore hope to its people.”

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