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On Easter, pope issues call to nonviolence, convokes vigil for peace
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Pope at Easter: Jesus showed nonviolence is true power over evil
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Appealing to those in power to end all conflicts through dialogue and not domination, Pope Leo XIV urged humanity to stop growing accustomed to wars and violence and announced a prayer vigil for peace April 11."We cannot continue to be indifferent! And we cannot resign ourselves to evil!" he said April 5 before giving his Easter blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world). "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!" he said. "Let those who have weapons lay them down!" he said. "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!" Pope Leo XIV delivers his Easter blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 5, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) Before delivering his blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo said, "The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us!""Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts!" he said. "For this reason, I invite everyone to join me in a prayer vigil for peace that we will celebrate here in St. Peter’s Basilica next Saturday, April 11."Christ's power is nonviolent, Pope Leo said. "Christ, our 'victorious King,' fought and won his battle through trusting abandonment to the Father’s will, to his plan of salvation." Jesus walked the path of dialogue, "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," he said in his message. This strength and power, he said, is the God of love who creates and generates, who is faithful to the end, and who forgives and redeems. Pope Leo XIV greets people from the popemobile after appearing on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican after Easter Mass April 5, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) According to the Vatican, more than 50,000 people attended the Easter morning Mass in St. Peter's Square, where colorful floral arrangements adorned the steps leading to the basilica, highlighting the joyful celebration of Christ's resurrect...
Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace in First Easter Mass - The New York Times
Pope Leo Calls for Peace and Warns of a World Indifferent to Violence The pontiff's Easter remarks follow a Palm Sunday homily in which he said God rejected the prayers of "those who wage war."
Pope Leo delivers a passionate appeal for peace in Easter blessing
VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Speaking from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on Easter, Pope Leo XIV delivered a passionate appeal for peace, declaring that the power of the risen Christ is "entirely nonviolent" and calling on world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose dialogue over ...
