Pope Francis has invoked prayers for the war-torn Ukraine to regain peace as he led Easter Sunday mass to big crowds in Vatican Square.
In an Easter message highlighting hope, Pope Francis on Sunday invoked prayers for both the Ukrainian and Russian people.
He also praised nations which welcome refugees and called on Israelis and Palestinians tormented with guilt by the latest surge in deadly violence to forge a “climate of trust.”
Francis, along with dozens of prelates and tens of thousands of faithful, celebrated Easter Mass in a flower-adorned St. Peter’s Square, affirming the Christian belief that Jesus resurrected from the dead days after his crucifixion.
The 86-year-old pontiff was recently hospitalised for bronchitis, and was forced to miss the traditional “Way of the Cross” procession on Friday in Rome.
The last pontiff to miss any Holy Week services was Pope John Paul II in 2005, who died eight days later.
He sought “trust among individuals, peoples and nations,” As he also said Easter’s joy “illumines the darkness and gloom in which, all too often, our world finds itself enveloped.”
The pope’s Easter message is known by its Latin name, “Urbi et Orbi,” which means “to the city and the world.”
“Help the beloved Ukrainian people on their journey towards peace, and shed the light of Easter upon the people of Russia,″ Francis implored God in his Easter speech, which he delivered while sitting in a chair on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica facing the square.
“Comfort the wounded and all those who have lost loved ones because of the war, and grant that prisoners may return safe and sound to their families.”
He urged the international community to work to end the war in Ukraine and “all conflict and bloodshed in the world, beginning with Syria, which still awaits peace.”
Francis also prayed for those who lost loved ones in an earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey two months ago, claiming tens of thousands of lives.
With a renewal in deadly violence affecting both Israelis and Palestinians in recent days, Francis called for a “resumption of dialogue, in a climate of trust and reciprocal respect, between Israelis and Palestinians, so that peace may reign in the Holy City and in the entire region,″ a reference to Jerusalem.
But Francis also noted progress on some fronts.
“Let us rejoice at the concrete signs of hope that reach us from so many countries, beginning with those that offers assistance and welcome to all fleeing war and poverty,” he said, without mentioning any particular nations.
