Pope Leo XIV called for dialogue and for those with the power to unleash wars to choose peace, in his first Easter Sunday message since becoming the head of the Catholic Church last year.
Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo said: “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.”

“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,” the pontiff said.
Thousands gathered in the square to hear Leo’s message, with one group holding up a poster in Italian: “Pope Leo we are with you, guide our future.”

In his message, Leo echoed the late Pope Francis’ phrase about the “globalization of indifference,” acknowledging that people are “growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it and becoming indifferent.”
The pontiff said the power of Easter – when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – is “entirely nonviolent.”
Leo also used his Easter Sunday message to announce a special prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica, on Saturday, April 11. The late Pope Francis organized a similar vigil in 2013 for Syria – to rally against the civil war and reject military intervention – which was attended by around 100,000 people.

After delivering his message, Leo wished people a happy Easter in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin. He then said the Regina Coeli prayer and gave the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing, meaning “To the City and to the World.”