In his Easter message, Pope Francis said “only an infinite mercy can bring us salvation” and he mentioned Belgium, Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Iraq. Terror is a “blind and brutal form of violence which continues to shed blood in different parts of the world”. He also spared a thought for Syria, Yemen and Libya and urged people not to forget about migrants and refugees.
“Before the spiritual and moral abysses of mankind, before the chasms that open up in hearts and provoke hatred and death, only an infinite mercy can bring us salvation. Only God can fill those chasms with his love, prevent us from falling into them and help us to continue our journey together towards the land of freedom and life.” Francis pronounced these words in his Easter “Urbi et Orbi” message delivered at the end of the Easter mass he celebrated in St. peter’s Square.
“The glorious Easter message, that Jesus, who was crucified is not here but risen, offers us the comforting assurance that the abyss of death has been bridged and, with it, all mourning, lamentation and pain. The Lord,” Francis said, “who suffered abandonment by his disciples, the burden of an unjust condemnation and shame of an ignominious death, now makes us sharers of his immortal life and enables us to see with his eyes of love and compassion those who hunger and thirst, strangers and prisoners, the marginalized and the outcast, the victims of oppression and violence.”
“Our world is full of persons suffering in body and spirit,” Francis went on to say, “even as the daily news is full of stories of brutal crimes which often take place within homes, and large-scale armed conflicts which cause indescribable suffering to entire peoples.”
“The risen Christ,” Francis said, “points out paths of hope to beloved Syria, a country torn by a lengthy conflict, with its sad wake of destruction, death, contempt for humanitarian law and the breakdown of civil concord. To the power of the risen Lord we entrust the talks now in course, that good will and the cooperation of all will bear fruit in peace and initiate the building of a fraternal society respectful of the dignity and rights of each citizen.”
The Pope prayed for “hardened hearts” to be overcome and for “a fruitful encounter of peoples and cultures in other areas of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, Yemen and Libya”. Turning his thoughts to the Holy Land, he prayed for “concord between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, as well as patience, openness and daily commitment to laying the foundations of a just and lasting peace through direct and sincere negotiations” as well as “a definitive solution to the war in Ukraine, inspiring and sustaining initiatives of humanitarian aid, including the liberation of those who are detained”.
“The Lord Jesus, our peace, by his resurrection triumphed over evil and sin,” the Pope went on to say. “May he draw us closer on this Easter feast to the victims of terrorism, that blind and brutal form of violence which continues to shed blood in different parts of the world, as in the recent attacks in Belgium, Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire. May he water the seeds of hope and prospects for peace in Africa; I think in particular of Burundi, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, marked by political and social tensions.”
Francis talked about “the difficult conditions” which the Venezuelan people “are experiencing, and by those responsible for the country’s future, that everyone may work for the common good, seeking spaces of dialogue and cooperation with all”. He urged people “not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, an ever more numerous throng of migrants and refugees – including many children – fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice”. “All too often, these brothers and sisters of ours meet along the way with death or, in any event, rejection by those who could offer them welcome and assistance”. They must not be forgotten.
Francis also mentioned the “forthcoming World Humanitarian Summit not fail to be centred on the human person and his or her dignity, and to come up with policies capable of assisting and protecting the victims of conflicts and other emergencies, especially those who are most vulnerable and all those persecuted for ethnic and religious reasons”. The Pope went on to mention the Earth, which is “greedily exploited, resulting in an alteration of natural equilibria”, especially “those areas affected by climate change, which not infrequently causes drought or violent flooding, which then lead to food crises in different parts of the world”.
Francis then spared a thought for “our brothers and sisters persecuted for their faith and their fidelity to the name of Christ, and before the evil that seems to have the upper hand in the life of so many people, let us hear once again the comforting words of the Lord: “Take courage; I have conquered the world!””
“To those in our society who have lost all hope and joy in life,” Francis concluded, “to the elderly who struggle alone and feel their strength waning, to young people who seem to have no future, to all I once more address the words of the Risen One: “See, I am making all things new… To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life”. May this comforting message of Jesus help each of us to set out anew with greater courage to blaze trails of reconciliation with God and with all our brothers and sisters.”
Before the “Urbi et Orbi” message was pronounced and after the Easter Sunday mass, the Pope went round St. Peter’s Square in the Popemobile, greeting the many faithful present and even entered Via della Conciliazione.
