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Pope Leo Calls for Peace and Warns of a World Indifferent to Violence
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The pontiff’s Easter remarks follow a Palm Sunday homily in which he said God rejected the prayers of “those who wage war.”Listen · 4:52 min Pope Leo XIV arriving on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square for Easter Mass, during which he renewed his pleas for peace and condemned violence.Credit...Matteo Minnella/ReutersApril 5, 2026, 7:44 a.m. ETWith war in the Middle East casting a shadow over the celebrations of the most important date on the Christian calendar, Pope Leo XIV used his first Easter address as pontiff to renew pleas for peace and dialogue, and to condemn violence.“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 and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil,” Leo said on Sunday to tens of thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.The first U.S.-born pontiff has been increasingly outspoken on the issues of war and peace in recent weeks during the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. His Easter message came amid new Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and President Trump’s threatening to rain down “hell” on Iran.Under a sunny sky in Vatican City, thousands celebrated Easter Mass and listened to the traditional “Urbi et Orbi,” or “To the City and the World,” message, a compendium of the Vatican’s global concerns and the pope’s priorities.“Let those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace,” Leo said in the message. “Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue. Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.”ImageThousands celebrated Easter Mass on Sunday in Vatican City.Credit...Matteo Minnella/ReutersThank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Pope Leo urges those who 'unleash wars' to choose peace in his ...
Rome — Pope Leo XIV called for dialogue and for those with the power to unleash wars to choose peace, in his first Easter Sunday message since becoming the head of the Catholic Church last year. Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo said: “Let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil.” “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,” the pontiff said. Thousands gathered in the square to hear Leo’s message, with one group holding up a poster in Italian: “Pope Leo we are with you, guide our future.” In his message, Leo echoed the late Pope Francis’ phrase about the “globalization of indifference,” acknowledging that people are “growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it and becoming indifferent.” The pontiff said the power of Easter – when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – is “entirely nonviolent.” Leo also used his Easter Sunday message to announce a special prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica, on Saturday, April 11. The late Pope Francis organized a similar vigil in 2013 for Syria – to rally against the civil war and reject military intervention – which was attended by around 100,000 people. After delivering his message, Leo wished people a happy Easter in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin. He then said the Regina Coeli prayer and gave the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing, meaning “To the City and to the World.” Leo XIV’s first Holy Week and Easter takes place against the backdrop of war and has seen him express hope that US President Donald Trump can find an “off-ramp” to end the conflict in the Middle East. On Good Friday, the first US-born pontiff carried the cross for the entirety of the “Way of the Cross” service in Rome’s Colosseum, where worshipers heard prayers for deported immigrant children, along with a warning to world leaders that their actions will be judged. This Sunday, thousands gathered for the Easter Mass and message in a sunny St. Peter’s Square, which, per tradition, has been decked out with flowers and bulbs for the celebrations. Earlier in the day, in his Easter homily, Pope Leo focused...
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