On Easter, Pope Leo urges world leaders to end wars, renounce conquest

VATICAN CITY >> Pope Leo urged global leaders in his Easter message on Sunday to end the conflicts raging across the world and abandon any schemes for power, conquest or domination. The pope, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war, lamented in a special message to the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square that people “are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent”.

“Let those who have weapons lay them down!” the first U.S. pope exhorted. “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!”

Leo did not mention any specific conflicts in the message, known as the “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing. It was unusually brief and direct.

The pope said that the story of Easter, when the Bible says Jesus rose from the dead three days after not resisting his execution by crucifixion, shows that Christ was “entirely nonviolent”.

“On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars,” Leo urged.

Leo, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has been forcefully decrying the world’s violent conflicts in recent weeks and ramping up his criticism of the Iran war. In a sermon for the Easter vigil on Saturday night, he urged people not to feel numbed by the scope of the conflicts raging across the world but to work for peace. The pope made a rare direct appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, urging him to find an “off-ramp” to end the Iran war.

In his address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday to the Square below, decorated with thousands of brightly coloured flowers for the holiday, Leo offered brief Easter greetings in ten languages, including Latin, Arabic and Chinese. The pope also announced he would return to the Basilica on April 11 to host a prayer vigil for peace.