Pope Francis makes brief Easter appearance, urges ceasefire in Gaza and hostage release
Pope Francis appears on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica after the Vatican's Easter Sunday mass, April 20, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS
Listen to article
In a poignant Easter address delivered from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis appealed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the dire humanitarian conditions resulting from Israel's military campaign in the region.
Speaking to thousands gathered in Vatican City for the Easter Sunday Mass, the 88-year-old pontiff—still recovering from a severe case of double pneumonia—called for peace, the release of hostages, and global solidarity with both Israelis and Palestinians.
Although visibly frail and unable to deliver the full message himself, the pope's benediction, Urbi et Orbi ("to the city and the world"), was read aloud by an aide. It included a heartfelt plea to end the suffering in Gaza after 18 months of conflict and highlighted a growing global concern over anti-Semitism.
'I express my closeness to the sufferings … of all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,' read the statement. 'I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.'
The pope also denounced the continuing captivity of hostages by the Palestinian armed group Hamas and warned against the rising tide of anti-Semitism worldwide. His words follow months of increasingly vocal criticism of Israel's military operations, which he had previously described as 'shameful.'
Francis has been under medical orders to rest since being discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on March 23 after a five-week stay. He was replaced during Sunday's Mass by Cardinal Angelo Comastri but made a brief balcony appearance, a decision that sparked concern among observers.
'This is a man who has been very unwell,' reported Al Jazeera's James Bays. 'His doctors at one point thought he wasn't going to make it.' Francis has nonetheless made short appearances in recent days, including a visit to a Roman prison where he abstained from performing the traditional foot-washing ceremony.
Asked about his condition during Easter week, the pope remarked simply: 'I am living it as best I can.'
In a separate development, the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis held a private meeting with US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday morning to exchange Easter greetings. The visit followed high-level discussions on Saturday between Vance and top Vatican officials, including Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
The visit came amid diplomatic tensions between the Vatican and the Trump administration. Pope Francis had recently rebuked the administration's immigration policies, describing mass deportation efforts and cuts to welfare programmes as a 'disgrace.' He also publicly rejected Vance's invocation of medieval Catholic doctrine to justify nationalist immigration policies, emphasizing a universal moral duty to care for all, not just those 'closest to home.'
In a rare move, Francis addressed the issue in a letter to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, stating unequivocally: 'You need to think about everyone.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
28 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Russian attacks on Ukraine's Kharkiv kills four, wounds at least 60, officials say
KYIV: Russia attacked the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv at night and in the evening with drones, missiles and guided bombs, killing at least four people and injuring more than 60, including a baby, local officials said on Saturday. One of Ukraine's largest cities, Kharkiv is located just a few dozen kilometres from the Russian border and has been under constant Russian shelling during more than three years of war. 'Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war,' city mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said on the Telegram messenger early on Saturday. Dozens of explosions were heard in the city through the night and Russian troops were striking simultaneously with missiles, drones and guided aerial bombs, he said. Ukraine drones attack on Moscow forces airport closure, Russia says Multi-storey and private residential buildings, educational and infrastructure facilities were attacked, Terekhov noted. Photos by local authorities and Reuters showed burnt and partially destroyed houses and vehicles, and of rescuers carrying those injured to safety and removing debris. Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said that one of the city's civilian industrial facilities was attacked by 40 drones, one missile and four bombs, causing a fire, adding there may still be people under the rubble. In the evening, Russian aircraft once again attacked Kharkiv with guided bombs, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy called 'another brutal murder'. 'It was a brutal blow to the city in broad daylight, and in fact, they have been attacking our city of Kharkiv for the entire day,' Zelenskiyy said in his evening statement. 'Last night, there was a massive drone strike on Kharkiv, and now there are aerial bombs. Dozens of people have been injured in the past 24 hours.' he said. Russia launches major overnight attack on Kharkiv, killing two The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 206 drones, two ballistic and seven other missiles against Ukraine overnight. It said its air defence units shot down 87 drones while another 80 drones were lost - in reference to the Ukrainian military using electronic warfare to redirect them - or they were drone simulators that did not carry warheads. Ten locations were hit, the military said.
Business Recorder
36 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
US believes Russia response to Ukraine drone attack not over yet, expects multi-pronged strike
WASHINGTON: The United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its drone attack last weekend has not happened yet in earnest and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike, U.S. officials told Reuters. The timing of the full Russian response was unclear, with one source saying it was expected within days. A second U.S. official said the retaliation was likely to include different kinds of air capabilities, including missiles and drones. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. They did not detail Russia's expected targets nor elaborate on intelligence matters. Ukraine drones attack on Moscow forces airport closure, Russia says The first official said Moscow's attack would be 'asymmetrical,' meaning that its approach and targeting would not mirror Ukraine's strike last weekend against Russian warplanes. Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday and Russia's Defence Ministry said the strike on military and military-related targets was in response to what it called Ukrainian 'terrorist acts' against Russia. But the U.S. officials believe the complete Russian response is yet to come. A Western diplomatic source said that while Russia's response may have started, it would likely intensify with strikes against symbolic Ukrainian targets like government buildings, in an effort to send a clear message to Kyiv. Another, senior, Western diplomat anticipated a further devastating assault by Moscow. 'It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting,' the diplomat said. 'But the Ukrainians are brave people.' The Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he expected Moscow might seek to punish Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, for its role in last weekend's assault. To send a message, Russia could employ intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the attack, he said. 'Most likely, they will attempt to retaliate against (SBU) headquarters, or other regional intelligence administration buildings,' Kofman said, adding Russia could also target Ukrainian defense manufacturing centers. Still, Kofman suggested Russia's options for retaliation may be limited as it is already throwing a lot of its military might at Ukraine. 'In general, Russia's ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing - and attempting to do over the past month - is quite constrained,' he said. Operation 'spider's web' Kyiv says Sunday's audacious attack employed 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched deep from within Russian territory in an operation code-named 'Spider's Web.' The United States assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit - around half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - and around 10 were destroyed. Russian drone attack kills five, injures 24, Ukraine officials say The Russian government on Thursday denied that any planes were destroyed and said the damage would be repaired, but Russian military bloggers have spoken of loss or serious damage to about a dozen planes, including those capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The strikes, prepared over 18 months and conducted by drones smuggled close to the bases in trucks, dealt a powerful symbolic blow to Russia, which throughout the Ukraine war has frequently reminded the world of its nuclear might. Putin told President Donald Trump in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that Moscow would have to respond to attack, Trump said in a social media post. Trump later told reporters that 'it's probably not going to be pretty.' 'I don't like it. I said: 'Don't do it. You shouldn't do it. You should stop it,'' Trump said of his conversation with Putin. 'But, again, there's a lot of hatred.'
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Ukraine drones attack on Moscow forces airport closure, Russia says
A Ukrainian drone attack targeting Moscow forced the closure of two of the key airports serving the capital, Russian authorities said early on Sunday. Russia air defence units destroyed nine Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow by 0400 GMT, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app. Emergency services were dispatched to the sites where drone debris fell in the overnight attack, Sobyanin said. He did not report any immediate damage. Russian drone attack kills five, injures 24, Ukraine officials say A Ukrainian drone attack also sparked a short-lived fire at the Azot chemical plant in the Tula region, injuring two people, and seven drones were destroyed over the Kaluga region, regional governors said. Both regions border the Moscow region to the south of the capital. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Telegram that to ensure air safety it was halting flights at the Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports. Russia and Ukraine have increased their attacks in recent weeks while also returning to peace talks for the first time since the early days of the war that Russia launched against Ukraine in February 2022.
