On his first Easter as pontiff, Leo XIV urged Christians to bring the hope of the Resurrection into a world scarred by war, violence, and injustice.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV on Easter Sunday called for peace throughout the world, urging Christians to carry the hope of the Resurrection into a world wounded by war, violence, and injustice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay Christ, our Passover, bless us and give his peace to the whole world!\u201d the pope said at the end of his homily during Easter morning Mass in St. Peter\u2019s Square on April 5.<\/p>\n
Celebrating his first Easter as pontiff before a packed St. Peter\u2019s Square decorated with traditional Dutch flowers, Leo centered his homily on the Resurrection as God\u2019s answer to sin, death, and despair.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday all of creation is resplendent with new light, a song of praise rises from the earth, and our hearts rejoice: Christ is risen from the dead, and with him, we too rise to new life!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pope said the Easter proclamation \u201cembraces the mystery of our lives and the destiny of history,\u201d reaching humanity even \u201cin the depths of death, where we feel threatened and sometimes overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt opens us up to a hope that never fails, to a light that never fades, to a fullness of joy that nothing can take away: Death has been conquered forever; death no longer has power over us!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Leo acknowledged that this Christian message is not always easy to accept because \u201cthe power of death constantly threatens us, both from within and without.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom within, this power threatens us when the weight of our sins prevents us from \u2018spreading our wings\u2019 and taking flight, or when the disappointments or loneliness we experience drain our hope,\u201d he said. \u201cIt likewise looms over us when our worries or our resentments suffocate the joy of living, when we are sad or tired, or when we feel betrayed or rejected.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that death also appears in the world around us.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom without, death is always lurking. We see it present in injustices, in partisan selfishness, in the oppression of the poor, in the lack of attention given to the most vulnerable,\u201d he said. \u201cWe see it in violence, in the wounds of the world, in the cry of pain that rises from every corner because of the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because of the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth\u2019s resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Against that backdrop, the pope said Easter calls Christians to rediscover hope in the risen Christ.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this reality, the passover of the Lord invites us to lift our gaze and open our hearts,\u201d he said. \u201cIt sets us in motion, like Mary Magdalene and the Apostles, so that we may discover that Jesus\u2019 tomb is empty, and therefore in every death we experience there is also room for new life to arise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lord is alive and remains with us,\u201d Leo continued. \u201cThrough the cracks of resurrection that open up in the darkness, he entrusts our hearts to the hope that sustains us: The power of death is not the final destiny of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope also cited Pope Francis\u2019 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, recalling that the Resurrection is not simply a past event but a living power at work in the world even amid injustice and cruelty.<\/p>\n
Looking to the Gospel of John\u2019s account of Easter morning, Leo said Christ\u2019s Resurrection took place on \u201cthe first day of the week,\u201d linking Easter to the first day of creation and the dawn of a new humanity.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrothers and sisters, Easter gives us this hope, as we remember that in the risen Christ a new creation is possible every day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEaster is the new creation brought about by the risen Lord; it is a new beginning; it is life finally made eternal by God\u2019s victory over the ancient enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded by exhorting Christians to become witnesses of that hope in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need this song of hope today,\u201d the pope said. \u201cIt is ourselves, risen with Christ, who must bring him into the streets of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us then run like Mary Magdalene, announcing him to everyone, living out the joy of the Resurrection, so that wherever the specter of death still lingers, the light of life may shine.\u201d<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n