Pope Leo XIV delivered a passionate appeal for peace on Easter Sunday, declaring that the power of the risen Christ is “entirely nonviolent” and urging world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose dialogue over domination. Source: OSV News.
The address came moments after the Pope offered Easter Mass in St Peter’s Square with more than 50,000 people present and preceded his solemn blessing, urbi et orbi, meaning “to the city and to the world,” in which the Pope offers an indulgence to Catholics around the world who receive the blessing with the proper dispositions.
“In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ! Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!” Pope Leo said.
The Pope repeated the word peace 13 times in his address, underlining that the peace the risen Christ offers “is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us”.
“Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts!”
In a surprise announcement, Pope Leo revealed he will host a prayer vigil for peace in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, April 11.
At the heart of his message was a meditation on the nature of Christ’s power in the resurrection, which he contrasted with the violence that marks the modern world.
“The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent,” Pope Leo said.
That strength, the Pope added, “is God himself, for he is Love who creates and generates, Love who is faithful to the end and Love who forgives and redeems”.
After giving the urbi et orbi blessing in Latin, Pope Leo offered Easter greetings in 10 different languages, including Chinese and Arabic, with loud cheers as he spoke in English and Spanish.
“May you bring the joy of Jesus, who is risen and present in our midst, to all you meet,” he said in English. The Pope then joined the joyful crowd in St Peter’s Square in the popemobile.
Pope Leo was celebrating the first Easter Mass of his pontificate, with his predecessor, Pope Francis, having died on Easter Monday last year.
FULL STORY
‘The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent,’ pope says in Easter peace message (By Courtney Mares, OSV News)
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