In first Easter Urbi et Orbi address, Pope Leo calls for leaders to pursue peace rather than war

In his first Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing — “to the city and to the world” — Pope Leo XIV spoke about Christ’s victory over death and made an impassioned call for global leaders to choose peace, urging everyone not to be indifferent to violence. 

In his April 5 address, he emphasized that the power with which Christ resurrected “is entirely nonviolent.” The Pontiff called for everyone to be transformed by His love and thus choose to pursue peace and dialogue rather than conflict. He also announced Saint Peter’s Basilica will celebrate a prayer vigil for peace April 11 and invited the faithful to participate. 

At the beginning of his address, Pope Leo proclaimed that Christ is risen and wished a happy Easter to everyone. He then underscored the gravity of the events of the Triduum, proclaiming the immense sacrifice of Christ to take away the sins of the world. 

“Easter 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 — after suffering an unjust condemnation, being mocked and tortured, and shedding all his blood,” he said. “As the true immolated Lamb, he took upon himself the sin of the world and thus freed us all — and with us, all creation — from the dominion of evil.”

The Pontiff continued, “But how was Jesus able to be victorious? What is the strength with which he defeated once and for all the ancient adversary, the prince of this world?” 

This power and strength with which Christ rose from the dead “is God himself for he is Love who creates and generates, Love who is faithful to the end and Love who forgives and redeems,” Pope Leo said. 

The Lord was victorious over death by trusting and abandoning himself to the will of God the Father, according to the Pontiff. 

“The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent,” he continued. The Pontiff reflected on how this power is like a human heart that is wounded by an offense but “rejects the instinct for revenge and, filled with compassion, prays for the one who has committed the offense.”

“Brothers and sisters, this is the true strength that brings peace to humanity, because it fosters respectful relationships at every level,” from individuals and families to social groups and nations, he continued. 

The resurrection marks not a mere symbolic victory but a dramatic turning point in human history and relationships, according to the Pontiff. 

He said that the resurrection of Christ “is the beginning of a new humanity; it is the entrance into the true promised land, where justice, freedom, and peace reign, where all recognize one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is Love, Life, and Light.”

In front of the empty tomb, the faithful have a choice: to be filled with fear, like the guards, and to not acknowledge the resurrection, like the Pharisees, or to “be filled with hope and wonder,” as the disciples were, according to the Pope. 

“In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ!” he urged. “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!”

Continuing, the Pontiff warned against indifferentism to violence. 

“We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people,” he said. “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 recalled how the late Pope Francis, in his final address to the world in his Urbi et Orbi message of April 20, 2025, warned against a growing “globalization of indifference,” lamenting that there is “a great thirst for death, for killing, [that] we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world!”

Pope Leo reiterated that the world cannot look away from death out of fear. 

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

He quoted Saint Augustine, who said that “If you fear death, love the resurrection,” and encouraged the faithful to cultivate this love, “which reminds us that evil is not the last word, because it has been defeated by the Risen One.”

Concluding, the Pontiff underscored the reality of Revelation 21:5, which says God “makes all things new,” by underscoring the transformative power of Christ’s peace. 

Jesus said in John 14:27 that “I give you my peace. Not as the world gives it, I give it to you,” Pope Leo quoted. This peace, the Pontiff emphasized, is not simply the absence of conflict. 

Christ’s peace “is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us! 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 called, adding that this is why the basilica will hold the April 11 prayer vigil of peace. 

“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 and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil,” he concluded. “To the Lord we entrust all hearts that suffer and await the true peace that only he can give. Let us entrust ourselves to him and open our hearts to him! He is the only one who makes all things new. Happy Easter!”

Easter Sunday Mass: Death's power 'is not the final destiny of our lives'

Pope Leo also celebrated the first Easter Mass of his pontificate April 5 in St. Peter’s Square, which was filled with thousands of faithful. In his homily, he encouraged the faithful to proclaim the risen Christ to everyone, sharing the hope of the resurrection amid a world marked by death. 

The message that “death has been conquered forever” is something “not always easy to accept, a promise that we struggle to embrace,” especially because death’s power is a constant threat in this world, the Pope acknowledged. He noted that interiorly, this power threatens amid the crushing weight of one’s sins, or when disappointment or loneliness challenges one’s hope. 

Exteriorly, “death is always lurking,” he continued. “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.”

But Christ’s Passover cultivates the hope of victory over death, according to the Pontiff, who later underscored that through the resurrection, it becomes evident that “the power of death is not the final destiny of our lives.” 

Easter is a day “that proclaims that a new life, stronger than death, is now dawning for humanity,” he said. “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. 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 Madgalene, 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. May Christ, our Passover, bless us and give his peace to the whole world!”