Overview
- Pope Leo’s Easter Urbi et Orbi address Sunday from St. Peter’s called on those with weapons to lay them down and urged leaders to choose peace through dialogue.
- He announced a prayer vigil for peace on April 11 at St. Peter’s as a next step in his appeals, after directly asking President Donald Trump earlier in the week to find an off‑ramp in the Iran war.
- He departed from the usual practice of listing conflicts in the Easter message, underscoring his warning against a growing ‘globalization of indifference’ to violence and injustice.
- His Holy Week actions paired words with ritual, as he carried the cross through all 14 Stations on Good Friday and baptized 10 adults at the Easter Vigil.
- Large crowds amplified the message, with about 30,000 at the Colosseum Way of the Cross and roughly 50,000 in St. Peter’s Square for Easter Mass.