VATICAN CITY: In his Easter speech at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis allayed mounting concerns about his health while urging people to reject “the logic of weapons.” He was greeted by thousands of Catholics.
The 87-year-old was blessed with “Urbi et Orbi,” which means “To the City and the World,” after he presided over Easter Mass in Saint Peter’s Square in front of 60,000 worshippers and seemed to be in a good mood.
Francis denounced violence as “always an absurdity and a defeat” in his customary statement, which was televised globally. He brought up the conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, and other places.
He reaffirmed his calls for a truce in Gaza and for Hamas to release its captives in addition to increasing assistance deliveries to the ravaged region. He described the civilian population as “now at the limit of its endurance” and bemoaned the effects on kids in particular.
Let’s resist letting the winds of conflict pick up and blow toward Europe and the Mediterranean. He said, “Let’s resist giving in to the logic of guns and rearming.”
In the midst of the three-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the pope suggested a “general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.”
In order to release its victims, he also called on world leaders to “spare no efforts in combatting the scourge of human trafficking.”
Shortly before the blessing, Francis drove past the enthralled throng in his “popemobile” while pilgrims waved flags, yelled “Long live the pope!” and struggled to capture images.
Health issues
A day after the pope’s last-minute cancellation from a significant Good Friday procession raised concerns about his health, the pope presided over the Easter Vigil at the Vatican earlier on Saturday in front of roughly 6,000 people from around the world.
He denounced “the walls of indifference and selfishness” that exist throughout the world. He did not appear to be tired at all by the end of the two and a half-hour session, taking the time to bless and meet a few of the worshippers.
“To preserve his health ahead of tomorrow’s vigil and the Easter Sunday mass, Pope Francis will this evening follow the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum from the Santa Marta Residence,” the Vatican stated in a brief statement on Friday.
Never one to take a vacation, Francis traveled to Marseille in southern France in September for his final excursion.
He canceled his highly anticipated appearance at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in December.
