Pope Francis conveys his traditional Easter message “Urbi et Orbi” – to the city and to the world – emphasizing how today we celebrate the event that gives us hope that does not disappoint: “Jesus who was crucified has risen.”
By Vatican News staff writer
All over the world, the Church proclaims the joyful news that “Jesus, who was crucified, rose again, as He said. Alleluia! “Pope Francis said at the beginning of his Easter message broadcast live around the world.
He delivered hers The city and the world message in St. Peter’s Basilica, just like last year, because of coronavirus safety measures.
He had just finished presiding over the Easter Sunday Mass at the Altar of the Chair with a small congregation attending. The basilica featured an array of avalanche roses offered by Dutch florists who traditionally filled St. Peter’s Square with flowers every Easter year, but had to stop temporarily due to the pandemic.
The Easter reality of the Resurrection offers concrete, tangible hope and consolation, the Pope remarked, but his message does not offer us “a mirage or reveal a magical formula” that we might want as an escape from the difficult realities of the world.
Among them, the spread of the pandemic, social and economic crisis that hit especially the poor, but also noted the “outrageous” fact that “armed conflicts are not over and military arsenals are strengthened.”
I hope this does not disappoint
The message of the hope of Easter concisely tells us that “Jesus crucified, no one else, rose from the dead,” said Pope Francis, adding that God the Father raised Jesus, who fulfilled his will to salvation by taking upon Himself his weakness. , helplessness, the weight of our sins, even our death. Because of this, the Pope said, “God the Father exalted Him, and now Jesus Christ lives forever; He is the Lord.
The wounds that Jesus bears on his hands, feet, and side are “the eternal seal of His love for us,” the Pope remarked, and all who experience trials in body or spirit can find refuge in them and receive the grace of hope that they do not it disappoints. ”
Hope and solidarity in times of pandemic
Pope Francis went on to say that the Risen Christ gives hope and comfort to those who suffer from the pandemic, the sick and those who have lost a loved one. He also prayed that the Lord could “support the courageous efforts of doctors and nurses.”
He stressed that everyone, especially the vulnerable, needs assistance and has the right to care, and vaccines are essential. He called on the international community “to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of vaccines and to facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries”.
The Risen Lord is comfort to the unemployed and those in economic hardship, the pope said. He prayed that Christ would “inspire public authorities to act so that everyone, especially families in greatest need,” could be helped to avoid slipping into poverty, a sad reality on which the pandemic has worsened dramatically.
The pope also referred to the psychological burden of the pandemic on young people, who are often forced to stay home without attending school or visiting friends in person. He expressed his “closeness to young people around the world.”
The hope that brings peace to our world
Quoting St. John Paul II when he visits Haiti, “the poor of all kinds must once again begin to hope,” he said, as his thoughts turned to the “beloved Haitian people.” -i “look to the future with confidence and hope” and not be overwhelmed by current difficulties. He stressed his closeness to them and that their problems can be solved once and for all.
Pope Francis prayed for young people in Myanmar “committed to supporting democracy and hearing their voices peacefully,” so that “hatred can be dispelled only through love.”
He remembered the migrants fleeing war and extreme poverty and that “the light of the risen Jesus should be a source of rebirth” for them, as we see in them “the corrupt and suffering face of the Lord” on the road to Calvary. This requires concrete signs of solidarity and human brotherhood ”from all, he noted, and thanked the nations that receive asylum seekers, citing Lebanon and Jordan, which have received so many refugees fleeing violence in neighboring Syria.
May the people of Lebanon, he prayed, “find support from the international community” in these difficult times and persevere in being “a land of encounter, coexistence and pluralism.”
And “Christ our peace” to stop the clash of arms in “Syria loved and torn by war,” said the Pope, where millions suffer.
He also stressed the “deafening and outrageous silence” on Yemen’s suffering.
Looking at the nation of Libya, he mentioned the hopes that finally exist for the end of the decade of bloodshed and unrest. In all these countries, he encouraged all parties involved to “commit” to ending these conflicts and to allow “war-weary people to live in peace” and to rebuild their lives and communities.
Living as brothers and sisters
The resurrection takes us to Jerusalem, the Pope continued, where “we ask the Lord to grant peace and security,” so that he can “embrace his calling” to be a place where “all can see each other as brothers and sisters.” ”. He encouraged Israelis and Palestinians to “rediscover the power of dialogue” so that a solution could be found that would “allow the two states to live side by side in peace and prosperity.”
Pope Francis also recalled his visit to Iraq last month and prayed that the nation would continue on the “path of peace” and “fulfill God’s dream for a welcoming and welcoming human family to all its children.”
It goes beyond the mentality of war
The Pope’s thoughts then turned to Africa, especially places suffering from domestic violence and international terrorism in areas of the Sahel, Nigeria, Tigray and the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique, and prayed that conflicts could be resolved peacefully through “dialogue between a spirit of reconciliation and true solidarity ”.
The pope lamented that too many wars and too much violence affect our world. He prayed, “The Lord, who is our peace, help us to overcome the mentality of war.”
Prisoners of conflict should be released in eastern Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, he added, and the arms race should be stopped. He recalled that Sunday, April 4, marks International Anti-Personnel Landmine Awareness Day and said that these “insidious and horrible devices” kill or mutilate many innocent people every year. He also pointed out, “How much our world would be without these instruments of death!”
Healed by the wounds of Christ
In conclusion, Pope Francis acknowledged that in so many places Christians celebrated Easter under severe restrictions, sometimes unable to participate in liturgical celebrations. He prayed that these restrictions, as well as all restrictions on freedom of worship and religion worldwide, would be lifted so that all would be allowed to pray and praise God freely.
In the midst of these many hardships, the Pope said, we must always remember that “we have been healed by the wounds of Christ” and in the light of the Risen Lord, “our sufferings are now transfigured … where there was death, now there is life.” .
He concluded, saying, “We pray that the benefits of this healing will spread throughout the world. Happy Easter! ”
After sending his Easter message Urbi et Orbi, the Pope gave his apostolic blessing.