ROME — Pope Francis, recovering from a bout of respiratory illness that lasted over the winter, led some 60,000 participants in Easter celebrations on Sunday, calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine. He strongly urged replacement.
Francis presided over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square, decorated with flowers, and then offered a heartfelt prayer for peace in his annual summary of global crises. The people of Gaza, including the Gaza Strip's small Christian community, have always been a source of concern for Francis, and this year's Easter in the holy city was an overall somber affair in light of the war.
“Peace is never made with weapons; it is made with an outstretched hand and an open heart,” Francis said from a loggia overlooking the square, to applause from the wind-swept crowd below.
Despite celebrating a two-and-a-half-hour Easter Vigil just hours earlier, Francis appeared to be in good spirits. The Pope, who had part of one of his lungs removed when he was young, has been battling a respiratory illness all winter, which has prevented him from fully participating in Easter services, especially after missing the traditional Good Friday procession. It wasn't completely guaranteed.
But to show that he was in good health, the 87-year-old pope made several laps around the square in his papal van after Mass, greeting well-wishers.
The Vatican said about 60,000 people attended the mass, with even more crowding Via Conciliazione, which leads to the square. At the start of the service, a gust of wind toppled a large religious icon on the altar just a few feet from the Pope. The usher quickly fixed it.
Easter Mass is one of the most important days in the liturgical calendar, celebrating what believers believe is the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. The Mass will precede the blessing of “Urbi e Orbi” (to the city and the world), during which the pope traditionally presents a laundry list of threats that afflict humanity.
Francis said this year his thoughts were especially with the people of Ukraine and Gaza, and all those facing war, especially children who have “forgotten to smile.”
“In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine. Everything for everyone!” he said.
He called for the “immediate” release of prisoners taken from Israel on October 7, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and humanitarian access for Palestinians.
“Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have a serious impact on our citizens, who have reached the limit of their patience, and above all on our children,” he said in a speech that also touched on the plight of the Haitian people. In it he stated the following: Rohingya and victims of human trafficking.
In recent weeks, Mr. Francisco has generally avoided giving long speeches to avoid strain on his breathing. He abandoned last week's Palm Sunday piety and decided at the last minute to stay home from the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum.
The Vatican said in a briefing that the decision was taken “to protect his health.”
The decision clearly paid off, with Francis administering the sacraments of baptism and first communion to eight new Catholics, reciting the long Paschal Vigil on Saturday night, and celebrating Easter Sunday Mass. I was able to preside and give a speech.
Francis was not the only leader whose mere presence at Easter signaled reassuring signs of stability and normalcy.
In Britain, King Charles III attended Easter services at Windsor Castle with the Queen and other members of the royal family, his most significant public outing since being diagnosed with cancer last month.
The king cheerfully waved to the audience as he entered St George's Chapel, and after the service he took time to shake hands and greet celebrants. “You're very brave to stand out here in the cold,” Charles told them.
But things were far from normal in Jerusalem, where Easter Mass was being celebrated in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Only a few dozen believers attended the service as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates in the Gaza Strip.
The medieval church in the old town is a sacred site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected.
In recent years, the church has been filled with worshipers and tourists. But the bloody conflict in Gaza, now in its sixth month, has led to a significant decline in tourism and pilgrimage across Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The streets of the Old City were also empty of Palestinian Christians from the West Bank who usually gather for Easter. Since the conflict erupted, special permits have been required for Palestinian worshipers from Israeli-occupied territory to cross checkpoints into Jerusalem.
In Gaza, the situation was even more dire. Only a few dozen Palestinian Christians celebrated Easter Mass at Gaza City's Holy Family Church, but there was little to celebrate.
“This doesn't feel like Easter like any other time of year,” said Winnie Taraji, a Christian from Gaza City. We lost our families during that time.” Who fled, who stayed, and who was destroyed? ”
There were similar sentiments in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, where only a few dozen people attended Mass at the Church of the Nativity.
George Kanawati, a resident of Bethlehem, said: “This year there is no holiday atmosphere, there is no joyful atmosphere. There is no joy in the holidays, there is no smile on the faces of children. The occupation forces are always trying to wipe out and kill those smiles.” he said.
Gaza's plight is also a concern in New York, where police arrested three people on Saturday who disrupted the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. Police said they held a banner reading “Silence = Death” on the altar and shouted “Liberate Palestine” as they were led away.
However, in Iraq's Nineveh Plains, where the Islamic State extremist group killed and evacuated thousands of Iraqi minorities 10 years ago, hundreds of people died in Iraq's Nineveh Plains, an area that has had a Christian presence since the time of Jesus. Celebrated Easter. Iraq's Christian community, once numbering about 1.5 million but now numbering at most a few hundred thousand, turned out in droves for Easter.
“We are definitely committed to this land, we will stay here until the end and we want change,” said Nassar Mubarak, who attended Easter Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Qaraqosh.
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Correspondent Danika Kirka in London, Jack Jeffrey in Cairo, Mohammad Hajjar and Wafa Shurafa in Gaza City, Farid Abdulwahed in Qaraqosh, Iraq, and Maysoon Khan in New York contributed. .
