Overview
- Pope Leone XIV, speaking at the Regina Coeli on Monday, urged prayers for peoples tormented by war and warned that truth is often obscured by fake news.
- At St. Peter’s on Saturday night, he led the full Easter Vigil rites, blessed the fire, processed with the paschal candle, and baptized ten adults.
- In Jerusalem, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre remained closed to worshippers, and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa celebrated before about 20 resident friars as police tightly controlled access to the Old City.
- The Holy Week liturgies in Jerusalem proceeded after Church leaders reached an arrangement with Israeli authorities following the Palm Sunday ban on the patriarch presiding.
- Responding to the controversy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said only Israel protects Christians in the region, as coverage also highlighted the pope’s concern for persecuted Christians worldwide.