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Pope Leo XIV delivered his inaugural Easter blessing as the head of the Catholic Church on Sunday, emphasizing the need for global peace and cautioning against becoming desensitized to the widespread loss of life caused by ongoing violence worldwide.
Addressing over 50,000 attendees, as estimated by Vatican media, Pope Leo extended the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, overlooking the bustling St. Peter’s Square.
In his address, Pope Leo highlighted the necessity for hope and harmony in a world scarred by conflict and cruelty. He implored people not to grow accustomed to violence or indifferent to the suffering and deaths of countless individuals.
“On this joyous day, let us cast aside any desire for conflict, domination, and power. Instead, let us beseech the Lord to bestow His peace upon a world devastated by war and marked by hatred and indifference, which often leaves us feeling powerless in the face of evil,” the pope declared.
Pope Leo XIV delivered the Urbi et Orbi blessing—Latin for “to the city of Rome and to the world”—from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, following the Easter Mass he led in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Leo reminded the faithful that “the power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent.”
“In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ,” he said. “Let us allow our hearts transformed by his immense love for us. Let those with 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 through a desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.”
Faithful wait for Pope Leo XIV to deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing at the end of the Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a “globalization of indifference.”
“What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world,” Leo said, quoting Francis.
Pope Leo XIV addresses the faithful before delivering the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica at the end of Easter Mass he presided over in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Leo concluded the blessing by wishing everyone a happy Easter in 10 different languages and singing the Regina Ceoli.
Leo earlier held his first Easter Mass as pope, in which he called for the faithful to exercise hope against “the violence of war that kills and destroys,’’ adding that in the face of conflicts spreading around the world, “we need this song of hope today.”
Leo has repeatedly called for a halt in hostilities as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month and Russia continues its violent campaign in Ukraine.
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