The end of the wars is at the center of the Pope’s Easter message during the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing. “Peace is never built with weapons, but by holding out hands and opening hearts”, said Bergoglio. About 60 thousand people gathered in the churchyard of the Vatican Basilica for Mass. On Easter Monday Bergoglio will recite the Regina Caeli
“Peace is never built with weapons, but by holding out hands and opening hearts.” Pope Francis said this during the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on the occasion of Easter. War in Europe and in the world is the theme at the center of the Pontiff’s message. There were around 60 thousand faithful present in the churchyard of the Vatican Basilica in St. Peter’s Square where the Easter mass was held, without a homily as usual. On Easter Monday Bergoglio will recite the Regina Caeli. After Friday’s absence from the Via Crucis, Pope Francis presided over the Easter Vigil of Holy Saturday in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening and said: “Let us not allow ourselves to be imprisoned by the boulders of death.”
Urbi et Orbi Blessing, the Pope: “Church relives the amazement of women at the tomb”
“The Church relives the amazement of the women who went to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. Jesus’ tomb had been closed with a large stone; and so even today heavy, too heavy boulders close the hopes of humanity: the boulder of war, the boulder of humanitarian crises, the boulder of human rights violations, the boulder of human trafficking, and others”. Thus the Pope in the Easter Message ‘Urbi et Orbi’. “We too, like the women disciples of Jesus, ask one another: ‘Who will roll away these stones for us?’ (see Mk 16:3) – he continued -. And here is the discovery of Easter morning: the stone, that large stone, has already been rolled away. The amazement of the women is our amazement: the tomb of Jesus is open and it’s empty!”. “Everything begins from here – added Francis -. Through that empty tomb passes the new path, the one that none of us but only God has been able to open: the path of life in the midst of death, the path of peace in the midst of war, the path of reconciliation in the midst of hatred, the path of brotherhood in the midst of enmity.”
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The Pope before the Via Crucis: how to react to the madness of war?
Pope Francis: “Do not give in to the logic of weapons”
In his Easter message, during the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, Bergoglio invited “to respect the principles of international law, I hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for all! Furthermore, I once again appeal for guaranteed the possibility of access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, once again urging a prompt release of the hostages kidnapped on 7 October and an immediate ceasefire in the Strip”. Greeted by loud applause from those present in St. Peter’s Square, the Pontiff added: “Let us not allow the ongoing hostilities to continue to have serious repercussions on the civilian population, now exhausted, and above all on children. How much suffering we see in the eyes of children. The children in those lands of war have forgotten to smile. With their gaze they ask us: why? Why so much death? Why so much destruction? War is always an absurdity and a defeat! Let’s not let ever stronger winds of war blow on Europe and the Mediterranean. Do not give in to the logic of weapons and rearmament. Peace is never built with weapons, but by holding out hands and opening hearts.”
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The message on terrorists and solidarity
Pope Francis turned his gaze to the weakest. “May the risen Christ open a path of hope – he said – to people who in other parts of the world suffer violence, conflicts, food insecurity, as well as the effects of climate change. May he give comfort to the victims of every form of terrorism. Let us pray for those who have lost their lives and we implore the repentance and conversion of the perpetrators of these crimes.” In this context, the Pontiff recalled Syria which “has been suffering the consequences of a long and devastating war for fourteen years” and then the other countries which are facing economic and social difficulties such as Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Myanmar. “May the Risen One shine his light on migrants – he added – and on those who are going through a period of economic difficulty, offering them comfort and hope in times of need. May Christ guide all people of good will to unite in solidarity, to face together the many challenges facing the poorest families in their search for a better life and happiness”. Bergoglio’s words are also aimed at politics: “On the day in which Christ has set us free from the slavery of death, I urge those with political responsibilities to spare no effort in fighting the scourge of human trafficking, working tirelessly to dismantle its networks of exploitation and bring freedom to those who are victims”. At the end of the message, the Pope focused on the gift of life. “On this day in which we celebrate the life given to us in the resurrection of the Son – he stated – let us remember the infinite love of God for each of us: a love that surpasses every limit and every weakness. Yet just as the precious gift of life. How many children can’t even see the light? How many die of hunger or are deprived of essential care or are victims of abuse and violence? How many lives are made the object of commercialization due to the growing trade in human beings?”. “May the light of the resurrection illuminate our minds and convert our hearts, making us aware of the value of every human life, which must be welcomed, protected and loved”, concluded Francis.
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Easter Mass at St. Peter’s
The celebration, which began with the “Resurrexit” rite, was attended by Roman faithful and pilgrims from all over the world on the occasion of the Easter holidays. Over 350 cardinals, bishops and priests concelebrated the liturgy with the Pope. The Pontiff then made a long tour among the faithful, aboard the white jeep, to greet and bless the tens of thousands of pilgrims present, who cheered him loudly. The Pope also ‘trespassed’ from the Vatican territory for a while, crossing Piazza Pio XII and the first part of Via della Conciliazione, to also greet the faithful who were waiting for him beyond the barriers. Decorating the churchyard are tens of thousands of flowers donated over 25 years by the Netherlands. During mass in the Vatican churchyard for Easter Sunday, the strong wind caused the “Resurrexit” icon, located right near the Pontiff’s position, to fall heavily to the ground. Vatican attendants immediately rushed to raise the sacred image and make it safe.
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Pope Francis at the Easter Vigil: “Let us not allow ourselves to be imprisoned”
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Good Friday, Via Crucis at the Colosseum in Rome: the Pope is not there. PHOTO
The procession started at 9.15pm from inside the Colosseum and ended, after the 14th station, at the Temple of Venus on the Palatine. The Pontiff is absent. “To preserve his health in view of the Vigil on Saturday and the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday, he will follow it from Casa Santa Marta’, says the Vatican Press Office at the end. This year, for the first time in his pontificate, Bergoglio wrote the meditations and prayers. Among the people who carry the cross are also migrants and disabled people
THE WAY OF THE CRUCIS WITHOUT THE POPE
- In Rome the Via Crucis on Good Friday. Pope Francis is not presiding over it. “To preserve his health in view of the Vigil on Saturday and the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday, this evening Pope Francis will follow the Via Crucis to the Colosseum from Casa Santa Marta”, announced the Vatican Press Office shortly before the departure of the procession. The Via Crucis started at 9.15pm from inside the Colosseum and ended, after the 14th stations, at the Temple of Venus on the Palatine
THE ABSENCE
- Also in 2023 Bergoglio missed the Via Crucis, having just recovered from hospitalization for pneumonia and due to the cold. This afternoon the Pope attended the Passion service in the Basilica, reading some parts of the liturgy and following the celebration in a wheelchair, to the right of the main altar of St. Peter’s. The communication of the absence arrived at the last moment, while everyone was waiting for him at the Colosseum: but the armchair on the usual position from above, from which Francis should have presided over the Via Crucis, remained empty
THE MEDITATIONS
- This year, for the first time in his pontificate, the meditations on the Way of the Cross on Good Friday were written directly by Francis. In previous years, the Pope had entrusted the drafting of the texts to bishops, religious people, migrants, students, refugees, young married couples, etc… The theme that Bergoglio chose to develop in the texts accompanying the 14 stations is “In prayer with Jesus on via della Croce”. “Suffering with God does not have the last word”, is the prayer that forms the backdrop to this evening’s Via Crucis