Pope Leo XIV on Easter Sunday called for peace throughout the world, urging Christians to carry the hope of the Resurrection into a world wounded by war, violence, and injustice.
“May Christ, our Passover, bless us and give his peace to the whole world!” the pope said at the end of his homily during Easter morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square on April 5.
Celebrating his first Easter as pontiff before a packed St. Peter’s Square decorated with traditional Dutch flowers, Leo centered his homily on the Resurrection as God’s answer to sin, death, and despair.
“Today all of creation is resplendent with new light, a song of praise rises from the earth, and our hearts rejoice: Christ is risen from the dead, and with him, we too rise to new life!” he said.
The pope said the Easter proclamation “embraces the mystery of our lives and the destiny of history,” reaching humanity even “in the depths of death, where we feel threatened and sometimes overwhelmed.”
“It opens us up to a hope that never fails, to a light that never fades, to a fullness of joy that nothing can take away: Death has been conquered forever; death no longer has power over us!” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
