Pope Prays That Easter Joy Would Break Through Gloom Of Sin, War, Strife

Pope Francis prayed that Christians would experience the joy of Easter and allow Christ’s resurrection to be “the light that illumines the darkness and the gloom in which, all too often, our world finds itself enveloped.”

“In Jesus the decisive passage of humanity has been made: the passage from death to life, from sin to grace, from fear to confidence, from desolation to communion,” the pope said April 9 after celebrating the Easter morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

In his Easter message, Pope Francis prayed for an end to the war in Ukraine and remembered Christians celebrating Easter “in particular circumstances,” specifically mentioning Nicaragua, where the government has imposed restrictions on public celebrations, has deported dozens of priests and has imprisoned Bishop Rolando Álvarez de Matagalpa.

As is traditional, Pope Francis did not give a homily during the morning Mass but bowed his head and observed several minutes of silent reflection after the chanting of the Gospel in both Latin and Greek.