Francesco does not give up facing the central lodge and to give the blessing. After receiving, around 11.30, vice -president Vance in Santa Marta, at 12.02, shows himself to the square that welcomes him with emotion and joy. After wishing the “Happy Easter” he announces that the “ceremony master reads the message”. In the foreground the defense of the last, starting from migrants and those who live in conditions of poverty and wars. And the pressing request of a global disarmament to get to a true peace.
These are his words spoken by Diego Giovanni Ravelli:
Christ is risen, alleluia!
Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!
Today in the church the alleluia finally resonates, echoes with mouth in her mouth, from heart to heart, and her song makes the people of God cry in the whole world cry. From the empty sepulcher of Jerusalem, the unprecedented announcement reaches us: Jesus, the crucifix, “is not here, is risen” (Lk 24,6). It’s not in the tomb, it’s the living!
Love has won hatred. The light won the darkness. The truth won the lie. Forgiveness won revenge. Evil has not disappeared from our history, it will remain until the end, but no longer has the domain, it no longer has power over those who welcome the grace of this day.
Sisters and brothers, especially you who are in pain and anguish, your silent cry has been listened to, your tears have been collected, not even one has been lost! In the passion and death of Jesus, God took over all the evil in the world and with his infinite mercy he defeated him: he has eradicated the diabolical pride that poisons the heart of man and sow everywhere violence and corruption. The lamb of God won! This is why today we exclaim: “Christ, my hope, is risen!” (Easter sequence).
Yes, the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of hope: starting from this event, hopeing is no longer an illusion. No. Thanks to Christ Crucifix and Risen, hope does not disappoint! Spes non confundit! (Cfr RM 5.5). And it is not a evasive, but demanding hope; He is not alienating, but responsible.
How many hope in God pose their fragile hands in his great and strong hand, they let themselves be raised and set off: together with the risen Jesus they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses of the victory of love, of the unarmed power of life. Christ is risen! In this announcement all the sense of our existence is enclosed, which is not made for death but for life. Easter is the feast of life! God has created us for life and wants humanity to resorce! In his eyes every life is precious! That of the child in the womb of his mother, like that of the elderly or the patient, considered in an increasing number of countries as people to be discarded.
How much will of death we see every day in the many conflicts that affect different parts of the world! How much violence we often also see in families, towards women or children! How much contempt sometimes feeds towards the weakest, marginalized, migrants! On this day, I would like us to return to hope and trust others, even in those who are not close to us or come from distant lands with uses, ways of life, ideas, customs other than those most familiar to us, since we are all children of God! I would like us to return to hope that peace is possible! From the Holy Sepulcher, the Church of the Resurrection, where this year Easter is celebrated on the same day by Catholics and Orthodox, the light of peace on the whole Holy Land and the whole world was unrelated. I am close to the suffering of Christians in Palestine and Israel, as well as to all the Israeli people and all the Palestinian people. Worries the growing climate of anti -Semitism that is spreading all over the world. At the same time, my thoughts goes to the population and particularly to the Christian community of Gaza, where the terrible conflict continues to generate death and destruction and to cause a dramatic and ignoble humanitarian situation. I appeal to the belligerent parts: cease fire, free the hostages and help people, who are hungry and who aspire to a future of peace! We pray for Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria Which, while this last country experiences a delicate passage of its history, aspire to the stability and participation in the fate of their respective nations. I urge the whole Church to accompany with attention and prayer i Christians of the Middle East.
A special thought I also address to the people of the Yemen, who is experiencing one of the worst “prolonged” humanitarian crises in the world because of the warand I invite everyone to find solutions through a constructive dialogue.
Risen Christ breaks out the Easter gift of peace on the Tasta Ukraine And encourage all the actors involved to continue the efforts aimed at reaching a just and lasting peace.
On this day of celebration we think about Southern Caucasus And let’s ask that you soon arrive at the signing and implementation of a definitive Peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijanwhich leads to the much desired reconciliation in the region. The light of Easter inspired the intentions of Concordia in the Western Balkans And support the political actors in adopting themselves to avoid the exacerbation of tensions and crisis, as well as the partners of the Region in rejecting dangerous and destabilizing behaviors.
Risen Christ, our hope, grants peace and comfort to African populations victims of violence and conflicts, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan and South Sudanand support those who suffer from tensions in Sahel, in the horn of Africa and in the region of large lakes, as well as Christians who in many places cannot freely profess their faith. No peace is possible where there is no religious freedom or where there is no freedom of thought and word and respect for the opinions of others.
No peace is possible without a real disarmament! The need for each people to provide for their defense cannot be transformed into a general race to the rearmament. Easter light spurs us to break down the barriers that create divisions and are pregnant with political and economic consequences. It spurs us to take care of each other, to increase mutual solidarity, to use us to encourage the full development of every human person.
In this time our help to the Burmese people, already tormented by years of armed conflict, who deal with courage and patience the consequences of the devastating earthquake in sagaing, the cause of death for thousands of people and a reason for suffering for many survivors, including orphans and the elderly. We pray for the victims and their loved ones and we thank you all the generous volunteers who carry out the rescue activities. The announcement of the cessate-the-calendar by various actors in the country is a sign of hope for the whole Myanmar. I appeal to everyone in the world have political responsibilities not to give in to the logic of fear that closes, but to use the resources available to help the needy, Fight hunger and encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the “weapons” of peace: those that build the future instead of sowing death! The principle of humanity as a cornerstone of our daily action does never fail. In the face of the cruelty of conflicts that involve unexpected civilians, they attack schools and hospitals and humanitarian operators, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that no targets are affected, but people with a soul and a dignity. AND In this jubilee year, Easter is also the propitious opportunity to free the prisoners of war and political prisoners!
Dear brothers and sisters, in the Easter of the Lord, death and life have faced each other in a prodigious duel, but the Lord now lives forever (see Easter sequence) and infuses us the certainty that we are also called to participate in the life that knows no sunset, in which there will no longer be heard rowers of weapons and echoes of death. Let’s entrust ourselves to him that he can only make all things new (cf. AP 21.5)!
Happy Easter to all!
