Pope Francis reminded “the Christian communities that today celebrate Easter in particular circumstances, such as in Nicaragua and Eritrea” and asked for “all those who are prevented from professing freely and publicly your faith” during the Easter Message.
At the beginning of his speech, the Pope recalled that Easter means “step”, “because in Jesus the decisive step of humanity took place: from death to life, from sin to grace, from fear to trust, from desolation to communion”.
Next, the Holy Father congratulated Easter to all the faithful and assured that “Jesus, the Living, is with us forever.”
He also pointed out that “Christ is risen, truly has risen, as proclaimed in the Eastern Churches.”
“That truly tells us that hope is not an illusion, it is true! And that, starting from Easter, the path of humanity, marked by hope, advances quickly ”, he explained.
Taking as a reference this “hasty and joy” felt by those who met the Risen Lord, he also invited the faithful to “hurry up” and “grow on a path of mutual trust: trust between people, between peoples and nations ”.
“Let us hasten to walk paths of peace and brotherhood. Let us rejoice at the concrete signs of hope that come to us from so many countries, beginning with those that offer assistance and welcome to those fleeing from war and poverty”, he then asked.
Later, he prayed for all the countries that are at war. Specifically, for the beloved Ukrainian people “on the path to peace and spread the Easter light on the Russian people.”
“Comfort the wounded and those who have lost their loved ones because of the war, and make sure that the prisoners can return safely to their families.”
Likewise, the Pope asked for those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, as well as for an end to the conflicts in the Holy Land.
In addition, he recalled the wars in Lebanon, Tunisia, Haiti and also asked the Lord to consolidate “the peace and reconciliation processes undertaken in Ethiopia and South Sudan, and make the violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo cease.”
Along these lines, he asked for “the Christian communities that today celebrate Easter in particular circumstances, such as in Nicaragua and Eritrea, and remember all those who are prevented from freely and publicly professing their faith .”
“Give comfort to the victims of international terrorism, especially in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique and Nigeria .”
Finally, he prayed for refugees, deportees, political prisoners and migrants, “especially the most vulnerable, as well as all those who suffer from hunger, poverty and the harmful effects of drug trafficking, human trafficking, people and all forms of slavery”.
“We believe in You, Lord Jesus, we believe that with you hope is reborn and the path continues. You, Lord of life, encourage us on our journey and repeat to us, as to the disciples on Easter evening: ‘Peace be with you!’”, concluded the Pope on this Easter Sunday.