It is impossible to build peace without disarmament, and the desire for self-defense must not turn into an arms race, Pope Francis declared during his traditional Urbi et Orbi Easter blessing.
The 88-year-old pope, still recovering from pneumonia and whose appearance had been uncertain, stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to greet the faithful on Easter Sunday. “No peace is possible without true disarmament! Every nation’s need to ensure its own defense must not turn into a generalized arms race,” he warned.
“In the face of the cruelty of conflicts targeting defenseless civilians, schools, hospitals, and humanitarian workers, we cannot forget that these are not just targets—they are people, with souls and dignity,” he emphasized.
He called for peace in the Holy Land, noting that this year, Easter was celebrated “on the same day by Catholics and Orthodox Christians.” “I stand with the suffering of Christians in Palestine and Israel, as well as with all the people of Israel and Palestine,” he added.
The pontiff also called for prayers for Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, and urged efforts toward peace in Ukraine, where “all parties must continue working toward a just and lasting peace.” He went on to mention the Caucasus, expressing hopes for reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Balkans—where political leaders must avoid fueling tensions—and several African nations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and the Sahel region, as well as Yemen and Myanmar.
This year marked the first time in eleven years that Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter on the same date.
The celebration took place in front of 35,000 worshippers. Pope Francis delegated the Easter Mass to Cardinal Angelo Comastri.