VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff Sunday with a call to lay down arms and seek peace through dialogue, departing from the tradition of naming specific global conflicts in his Urbi et Orbi blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, emphasized Easter’s message of hope rooted in Jesus’ resurrection after crucifixion.
“Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have 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 with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!” he said.
With the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in its second month and Russia’s ongoing campaign in Ukraine, Leo acknowledged indifference “to the deaths of thousands of people … to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow … to the economic and social consequences they produce.”
Without naming the wars, Leo quoted his predecessor, Pope Francis, who during his final Easter appearance last year warned of a “great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day.” Francis, weakened by long illness, died the next day on Easter Monday.
The Urbi et Orbi blessing – Latin for “to the city and the world” – has traditionally included a litany of the world’s crises. Leo followed that formula during his Christmas blessing, but no explanation was offered for the change at Easter.
Earlier, Leo addressed about 50,000 faithful from an open-air altar in St. Peter’s Square, urging them in his homily to hold onto hope in the face of death, which he said lurks “in the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because of the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth’s resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys.”
From the loggia, he also announced a prayer vigil for peace April 11 in the basilica.
Leo greeted the faithful in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin, reviving a practice Pope Francis had abandoned. He waved from the loggia before greeting crowds from the popemobile, traveling down Via della Conciliazione toward the Tiber River and back.
During Holy Week, Leo reclaimed the tradition of washing priests’ feet on Holy Thursday, after Francis expanded the ritual to include women, prisoners and non-Christians. The 70-year-old pontiff also carried the wooden cross for all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross on Good Friday, a practice few recent popes have undertaken.
Several U.S. Cabinet departments marked Easter with explicitly Christian messages on official social media accounts, drawing mixed reactions.
“He is risen,” posted the Departments of Homeland Security and State.
The Defense Department shared a message from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “The tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. We stand firm in faith, courage and truth.”
The Justice Department wrote that as millions of Christians celebrate Easter, it is “proud to protect and defend religious liberty.”
The posts drew thousands of comments, with supporters welcoming the messages and critics arguing government agencies should not promote a specific faith.
Easter celebrations in Jerusalem were scaled back at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre under restrictions imposed by Israeli police due to ongoing missile attacks. Limits on public gatherings have also affected Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and the Jewish festival of Passover.
On Sunday, the Jewish priestly blessing at the Western Wall, which typically draws tens of thousands, was limited to 50 people.
Tensions have grown between Israeli authorities and Christian leaders. Police last week blocked two senior clerics, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
At Holy Family Church in Gaza City, members of the territory’s small Christian community gathered for Easter Mass, marking their first Easter since a ceasefire took hold.
“There is great joy, especially after the ceasefire and after nearly three years of suffering and being unable to celebrate all the holy holidays,” said George Anton of Gaza City. “People are somewhat relieved and more stable.”
In Tehran, Armenian Christians marked Easter at St. Sarkis Cathedral, striving for a sense of normalcy five weeks into the war.
Families exchanged painted eggs as airstrikes continued in Iran’s capital, targeted daily since the United States and Israel launched the war Feb. 28.
“Whether we like it or not, we have young children who do not understand what’s going on,” said Juanita Arakel, an English teacher. “They just need to feel normal.”
Iran, a nation of about 90 million people, is home to roughly 300,000 Christians, mostly Armenians, who hold three reserved seats in parliament.
“Our calls and prayers are that we will be able to end this war,” said Sepuh Sargsyan, archbishop of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran.
