On Easter, Pope Leo urges world leaders to lay down weapons and 'choose peace'

"The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent," the pope said in his message. "This is the true strength that brings peace to humanity, because it fosters respectful relationships at every level: among individuals, families, social groups, and nations."

The power of Christ "does not seek private interests, but the common good; it does not seek to impose its own plan, but to help design and carry out a plan together with others," he continued.

Leo called on Easter Sunday for all people to "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."

The pope's decision to forgo explicit geopolitical references in his address comes after a Holy Week in which he had become increasingly vocal in condemning the world's many wars: On Palm Sunday, the pope said Jesus rejects the prayers of those who wage war, and he later called on President Donald Trump by name to search for an off-ramp in the war in Iran. 

On Holy Thursday, he denounced the "imperialist occupation of the world" which he said Jesus subverts by rejecting the logic of power, and on Good Friday the pope led a prayer service that said leaders "will have to answer to God" for starting wars.  

Leo read his Easter message to the world from the balcony of St. Peter's Square on an occasion which marked the final public appearance of Pope Francis last year, who died the day after Easter. 

In doing so, Leo lifted a term from his predecessor, condemning the "globalization of indifference" which has taken hold of society. 

The world is "growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it," Leo said, and increasingly indifferent "to the deaths of thousands of people," as well as to "the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow" and the "economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel."

Leo also issued a call for a prayer vigil for peace next Saturday, April 11, in St. Peter's Basilica. 

In closing his message, the polyglot pope showcased his linguistic range delivering brief Easter greetings in multiple languages, including several he does not speak, such as German, Polish, Portuguese, Arabic and Chinese.

Dressed in floral vestments that mirrored the flower-laden stage of St. Peter's Square, the pope celebrated Mass with some 50,000 people on Easter Sunday before addressing the crowd from the basilica's balcony. 

In his homily, he said Easter's proclamation that "death has been conquered forever" is not easy for people to accept since "the power of death constantly threatens us, both from within and without." 

Personally, death is present "when the disappointments or loneliness we experience drain our hope" and "when our worries or our resentments suffocate the joy of living," Leo said. 

In society, "death is always lurking," he said. "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," the pope said. 

Easter, however, "gives us hope," Leo said. "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," he said.