Pontiff gathers faithful at the Vatican and defends dialogue, after symbolic gestures during Holy Week and criticism of wars in the Middle East and Ukraine
Thousands of faithful followed the message this Easter Sunday (April 5, 2026) “City and World” in Saint Peter’s Square, in Vatican. In the blessing, the pontiff made a direct appeal for peace and criticized violence in the world, stating: “Whoever has weapons in their hands, let them lay them down! Whoever has the power to start wars, let them choose peace!”
The speech returned to themes that marked the Holy Week celebrations led by the pope. In recent days, he has said that the Christian mission includes combating the imperialist occupation, during the Way of the Cross in Rome, as a sign of humility and reflection.
In the Easter message, Leo 14 reinforced the central meaning of the date: “Easter is a victory: of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hate”. He also said that the resurrection of Christ represents a path of personal and collective transformation, based on love and non-violence.
The pope also described the current global scenario as marked by suffering and indifference. According to him, death manifests itself “in violence, in the wounds of the world” and in abuses against the most vulnerable, in addition to economic exploitation and armed conflicts.
In addressing these problems, he stated that many live under “stones” difficult to remove, such as fear, selfishness and distrust. “Let’s not let ourselves be paralyzed by them”he said, defending that Christian hope must drive concrete changes.
Leo 14 also criticized what he called “globalization of indifference”saying that the population has become accustomed to violence and death. “We cannot remain indifferent! We cannot resign ourselves to evil!”he declared.
The pontiff maintained that true peace is not limited to the silence of weapons. “Not a peace achieved through force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to find them!”he stated.
In the end, he invited believers from all over the world to participate in a prayer vigil for peace scheduled for next Saturday (11 April), in St. Peter’s Basilica. He said that the moment requires abandoning disputes and seeking the common good.
“Let us convert ourselves to the peace of Christ! Let us make the cry of peace that comes from the heart heard!”he concluded.
It is the 1st time that Leo 14 has led Easter Sunday since the papacy on May 18, 2025.
Here is the full message:
“Brothers and sisters,
Christ is risen! Happy Easter!
For centuries, the Church has exultantly sung the event that is the origin and foundation of its faith: “The Lord of life was dead / but now, alive, he triumphs. / We know and we believe: / Christ is risen from the dead: / O victorious King, / have mercy on us” (Easter Sequence).
Easter is a victory: of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hate. A victory at a very high price: Christ, the Son of the living God (cf. Mt 16:16), had to die, and die on a cross, after having suffered an unjust condemnation, having been ridiculed and tortured, and having shed all his blood. As a true Lamb slain, he took upon himself the sin of the world (cf. Jn 1:29; 1Pe 1:18-19) and thus freed us all from the dominion of evil, and creation along with us.
But how did Jesus win? With what strength did he defeat once and for all the ancient Adversary, the Prince of this world (cf. Jn 12:31)? By what power did he rise from the dead, not returning to his former life, but entering into eternal life and thus opening, in his own flesh, the passage from this world to the Father?
This force, this power is God himself, Love that creates and generates, Love that is faithful to the end, Love that forgives and rescues.
Christ, our “victorious King”, fought and won his battle through confident abandonment to the Father’s will, to his plan of salvation (cf. Mt 26, 42). Thus, he followed the path of dialogue to the end, not with words, but with works: to find us, who were lost, he became flesh; to free us, who were slaves, he became a slave; To give us mortals life, he let himself be killed on the cross.
The strength with which Christ was resurrected is completely non-violent. It is similar to that of a grain of wheat that, when it decomposes in the earth, grows, makes its way through the grain, germinates and turns into a golden ear. It is even more similar to that of the human heart which, wounded by an offense, rejects the instinct for revenge and, full of pity, prays for those who offended it.
Brothers and sisters, this is the true force that brings peace to humanity, because it generates respectful relationships at all levels: between people, families, social groups, nations. It does not aim at private interests, but at the common good; It does not intend to impose its own plans, but to contribute to conceiving and implementing them together with others.
Yes, the resurrection of Christ is the beginning of the new humanity, it is the entry into the true promised land, where justice, freedom and peace reign, where everyone recognizes themselves as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is Love, Life and Light.
Brothers and sisters, with his resurrection, the Lord brings us even more intensely before the drama of our freedom. Faced with the empty tomb, we can be filled with hope and admiration, like the disciples, or with fear, like the guards and Pharisees, forced to resort to lies and subterfuge so as not to recognize that the one who had been condemned had actually risen (cf. Mt 28, 11-15)!
In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be surprised by Christ! Let us let our hearts be transformed by his immense love for us! Whoever has weapons in their hands, let them lay them down! Whoever has the power to trigger wars, choose peace! Not a peace achieved through force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to find them!
We are getting used to violence, we have resigned ourselves to it and become indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce and that we all feel. There is an increasingly accentuated “globalization of indifference”, to use an expression dear to Pope Francis, who a year ago, from this ‘loggia’, addressed his last words to the world, reminding us: ‘How much desire for death we see every day in so many conflicts that occur in different parts of the world!’ (, April 20, 2025).
The cross of Christ always reminds us of the suffering and pain that surrounds death, and the torment it brings. We are all afraid of death and, out of fear, we turn to the other side, we prefer not to look. We cannot remain indifferent! We cannot resign ourselves to evil! Saint Augustine teaches: “If you are afraid of death, love the resurrection!” (Sermon 124, 4). Let us also love the resurrection, which reminds us that evil is not the last word, because it was defeated by the Resurrected One.
He crossed death to give us life and peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives, I give it to you” (John 14:27). The peace that Jesus gives us is not the one that is limited to silencing the weapons, but the one that touches and transforms the hearts of each one of us! Let us convert to the peace of Christ! Let us make the cry of peace that comes from the heart heard! Therefore, I invite everyone to join me in the prayer vigil for peace that we will celebrate here, in St. Peter’s Basilica, next Saturday, April 11th.
On this feast day, let us abandon all desire for strife, domination and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to the world tormented by wars and marked by hatred and indifference, which make us feel powerless in the face of evil. To the Lord we entrust all the hearts that suffer and wait for the true peace that only He can give. Let us trust in Him and open our hearts to Him! Only He makes all things new (cf. Rev 21:5)!
Happy Easter!”
