In his first Easter message to the city of Rome and to the world, “Urbi et Orbi,” Pope Leo not only proclaimed the central tenet of the Christian faith that “Christ, my hope, is risen from death,” but also called on those waging war to “lay down [their] weapons” and “choose peace.” To this end, he invited everyone to join him in “a prayer vigil for peace” in St. Peter’s Basilica, next Saturday, April 11.

In the name of the risen Christ he appealed to those waging war: “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!”

Unlike his recent predecessors, Pope Leo did not name any country in his “Urbi et Orbi” greeting, though many journalists and observers in Rome read his appeal as a direct message in particular to the leaders of the United States and Israel, and also of Russia, who have started wars that risk further escalation and economic and political destabilization.

The American-born missionary pope, wearing a short red cape (mozzetta) and red stole, issued his powerful appeal from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday, April 5. He did so in his address to 51,000 Romans and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, and to a global audience following on television, radio and social media.

He told them: “We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming 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, which we all feel.”

He highlighted the “ever-increasing ‘globalization of indifference’” in today’s world, an expression, he said, that was “dear to Pope Francis, who one year ago from this loggia addressed his final words to the world, reminded us ‘What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world!’”

Pope Leo recalled that “the cross of Christ always reminds us of the suffering and pain that surround death and the agony it entails” and said “we are all afraid of death, and out of fear we turn away, preferring not to look.” But, he said, “We cannot continue to be indifferent! And we cannot resign ourselves to evil!”

The Augustinian pope recalled that St. Augustine once said, “if you fear death, love the resurrection!” Leo went on to urge: “Let us too love the resurrection, which reminds us that evil is not the last word, because it has been defeated by the Risen One.”

Easter, he said, “is the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred. It is a victory that came at a very high price: Christ, the Son of the living God, had to die—and die on a cross” and “he took upon himself the sin of the world and thus freed us all—and with us, all creation—from the dominion of evil.”

“[Jesus] passed through death to give us life and peace,” the pope said. He emphasized, however, that “the peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us!” He invited believers and people everywhere, “Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts!” 

Pope Leo ended his first Easter message to the world by extending Easter greetings in ten languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Latin. To the English-speaking world he said, “Happy Easter! May you bring the joy of Jesus, who is risen and present in our midst, to all you meet!”

After delivering the “Urbi et Orbi” message, a smiling Pope Leo drove among the crowd in his popemobile, sometimes stopping to bless babies and children, drawing shouts of “Viva il papa!” as well as cheers and waves of scarves and flags from their home countries.

On Holy Saturday evening, Pope Leo presided over the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica, attended by 6,000 faithful, including cardinals, bishops, clergy, religious and lay people as well as the diplomatic corps. During the Mass the pope baptized and confirmed ten catechumens.

Earlier this Easter Sunday morning before delivering his message, he celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square for tens of thousands of Romans and pilgrims from many countries, including the United States and Canada. There, too, he proclaimed that Christ rose from the dead, opening the path to eternal life, opening to us “a hope that never fails” because “death no longer has power over us!”

“This is a message that is not always easy to accept, a promise that we struggle to embrace, because the power of death constantly threatens us, both from within and without.”

It threatens us “from within,” he said, “when the weight of our sins prevents us from ‘spreading our wings’ and taking flight, or when the disappointments or loneliness we experience drain our hope.”

It threatens us “from without,” he went on, because “death is always lurking. We see it present in injustices, in partisan selfishness, in the oppression of the poor, in the lack of attention given to the most vulnerable. We see it in violence, in the wounds of the world, in the cry of pain that rises from every corner because of 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.”

Amid this reality, Pope Leo reminded Christians everywhere that “the Lord is alive and remains with us,” and so “the power of death is not the final destiny of our lives. We are all directed, once and for all, on the path to fulfilment, because in Christ we also have risen.”

He recalled the words of Pope Francis in his first apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium,” that affirmed that the resurrection of Christ “is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force. Often it seems that God does not exist: all around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty. But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit.”

Pope Leo concluded his homily at the Easter Sunday morning Mass by telling his global audience that “the day of Christ’s resurrection…proclaims that a new life, stronger than death, is now dawning for humanity. Easter is the new creation brought about by the Risen Lord; it is a new beginning; it is life finally made eternal by God’s victory over the ancient enemy.”

He added, “We need this song of hope today. It is ourselves, risen with Christ, who must bring him into the streets of the world. Let us then run like Mary Magdalene, announcing him to everyone, living out the joy of the resurrection, so that wherever the specter of death still lingers, the light of life may shine” and “May Christ bless us and give peace to the whole world!”

Gerard O’Connell is America’s senior Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History. He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.