by MK
Pope Leo XIV marked his first Easter Sunday as pontiff on April 5, celebrating Mass before thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square on a hot spring morning.
Pilgrims from around the world filled the square, underscoring the global significance of the moment early in his papacy, which began with his election on May 8, 2025.
In his Urbi et Orbi, delivered from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV issued a forceful appeal for peace. “In the light of Easter, let us be amazed by Christ, let his immense love change our hearts,” he said. “Those who hold weapons, lay them down. Those with the power to unleash wars, choose peace — not peace pursued by force, but through dialogue.” He warned against what he described as growing indifference to violence, adding, “We’re becoming used to it, resigned to it, indifferent — indifferent to thousands dying, indifferent to the hatred and division that conflicts sow.”
