Vatican City — Pope Leo
Leo, the first pope born in the United States, emphasized Easter’s message of hope as a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection after his crucifixion, in both his benediction and his sermon.
“Let us allow our hearts to be changed by His immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let peace be chosen by those who have the power to wage wars! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not by the desire to control others, but by confronting them!” appealed to the Pope.
As the US-Israeli war on Iran entered its second month, and the ongoing Russian campaign in Ukraine, Liu admitted that there was a feeling of indifference “to the deaths of thousands of people… and the repercussions of the hatred and division that the conflicts sow… and the economic and social consequences they produce.”
Without mentioning the wars by name, Leo cited quotes from his predecessor, Pope Francis, who during his recent public appearance from the same portico last Easter reminded the faithful of “the great thirst for death, for killing, that we witness every day.”
Francis, weakened by a long illness, died the next day at Easter.
A blessing Urbi et Orbi, Latin for “to the city and the world,” traditionally included a series of world problems. Leo followed this formula during his Christmas blessing. There was no immediate explanation for this shift.
Earlier, Leo addressed about 50,000 faithful from an open-air altar in St. Peter’s Square surrounded by white roses, while the steps leading to the square where the faithful gathered were filled with spring perennials, symbolically resonating with the pope’s words.
He appealed to believers to maintain their hope in the face of death, which lies “in the violations that crush our weakest, because of the cult of profit that plunders the earth’s resources, and because of the violence of war that kills and destroys.”
Speaking from the loggia, the Pope announced a pause of prayer for peace on April 11 in the church.
“On this day of celebration, let us abandon all desire for conflict, domination and power, and ask the Lord to grant his peace to a world torn by war and marked by hatred and indifference that make us feel helpless in the face of evil,” he said.
Pope Leo
(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Small shifts in tradition
Liu greeted the world’s believers in ten languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin, and revived a custom left behind by his predecessor, Pope Francis.
Before retreating into the cathedral, Leo stepped forward from the shadow of the loggia and waved to the cheering crowd below.
During the Holy Week marathon, Leo also restored the tradition of washing the feet of priests on Holy Thursday, in a gesture of encouragement for the clergy, after Francis chose a more inclusive path, traveling to prisons and homes for the disabled to wash the feet of women, non-Christians and prisoners.
The 70-year-old also became the first pope in decades to carry the light wooden cross throughout the 14 stations of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
Christians in the Holy Land had a quiet Easter celebration
Traditional celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered by Christians as the traditional site of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, have been scaled back under an agreement with Israeli police. Authorities have placed restrictions on public gathering sizes due to ongoing missile attacks.
The restrictions also affected the recent Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, as well as the current week-long Jewish Passover. On Sunday, the Jewish priestly blessing at the Western Wall, usually attended by tens of thousands, was limited to just 50 people.
The restrictions led to tense relations between the Israeli authorities and Christian leaders. Last week, police prevented two of the church’s top religious leaders, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
On Tuesday, the Pope expressed his hope that the war could end before Easter.
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Barry reported from Milan. Associated Press writer Joseph Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report
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