Pope Leo has called on world leaders to “choose peace” during his first Easter message, following the example of Jesus’ “entirely nonviolent” victory over death in the resurrection.
Speaking to thousands gathered around St Peter’s Square for mass on Sunday, the Pope lamented how people have become “indifferent” to the scale of violence around the world.
He said: “In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ! Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down!
“Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!
“On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars”.
The first American Pope has been critical of the Iran war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, urging dialogue and de-escalation, although he did not name any country or conflict in his address.
He delivered his first ‘Urbi et Orbi’, or ‘to the city and the world’, on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, surrounded by white roses. The square was decorated with more than 70,000 flowers, including daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, offered by the Dutch Bishops’ Conference.
Pope Leo began by reflecting on the “victory that came at a very high price”, as Jesus “took upon himself the sin of the world and thus freed us all from the dominion of evil”. He said this power came from God’s love “who forgives and redeems”.
“Thus he walked the path of dialogue to the very end, not in words but in deeds: to find us who were lost, he became flesh; to free us who were slaves, he became a slave; to give life to us mortals, he allowed himself to be killed on the cross,” Pope Leo continued.
“The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent. It is like that of a grain of wheat which, having rotted in the earth, grows, breaks through the clods, sprouts, and becomes a golden ear of wheat. It is even more like that of a human heart which, wounded by an offense, rejects the instinct for revenge and, filled with compassion, prays for the one who has committed the offense,” he said.
Pope Leo paid tribute to his predecessor, Pope Francis, by quoting his address last year: “What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world!” It was Pope Francis’ final message, before his death hours later.
“We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel,” he said.
Pope Leo concluded by offering Easter blessings in ten languages, including Arabic and Chinese. He will return to the basilica for a prayer vigil on 11 April.