2014 Urbi et Orbi

And you join us on this Easter Day for the second Easter message of

blessing Urbi et Orbi to the city on the world to begin by Pope Francis.

We join the many thousands of pilgrims and worshippers in St

Peter's Square from all corners of world who are in Rome at this

holiest time in the Christian calendar. A huge crowd this Easter.

The Argentinian 166 and a Mac successor to St Peter, who has made

such an impact. His example of humility and some -- simplicity has

led the Catholic faithful. He washed the feet of 12 disabled people.

Today, with flowers strewn along St Peter's Square, the brilliant

sunshine symbolises the joy of Christians as they celebrate the

resurrection and now see Pope Francis emerging onto the balcony of

the Basilica. He is waving now to the crowds. Huge expectation here,

having just presided over the Easter Sunday Mass in the square. He was

driven past the crowds to an enthusiastic reception, every hand

waving back as he waved to them. From the balcony in just a moment,

he will deliver his honour Lee, the Easter message. After the message,

Pope Francis will deliver the greeting which pubs in recent times

have said in at least 60 languages. Last year, however, both at Easter

and again at Christmas, Pope Francis chose to give the greeting only in

Italian. It is not known why he made that particular break with

tradition. We will wait to see what happens today.

So the band has now finished playing and are saluting the Pope. The crowd

is stretching almost all the way from ten to Peter back to the Avenue

that leads up to it. The lectern is being brought before the Pope now

for his Easter message. Cari fratelli e sorelle, buona

Pasqua! Let us hear the Pope now in his own

language. He begins by quoting a passage from Matthew: 28. This is

the church around the world echoes the Angel's message to the women. Do

not be afraid, I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was

crucified. . He is not here, for he has been raised. Come, see the place

where he lay. This is the culmination of the Gospel, it is the

Good News par excellence: Jesus, who was crucified, is risen! This event

is the basis of our faith and our hope. If Christ were not raised,

Christianity would lose its very meaning. The whole mission of the

Church would lose its impulse, for this is the point from which it

first set out and continues to set out ever anew. The message which

Christians bring to the world is this: Jesus, Love incarnate, died on

the cross for our sins, but God the Father raised him and made him the

Lord of life and death. In Jesus, love has triumphed over hatred,

mercy over sinfulness, goodness over evil, truth over falsehood, life

over death. That is why we tell everyone: "Come and see!". In every

human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no

mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and

faithful love: it is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering

others, being close to those crushed by life's troubles, sharing with the

needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast. "Come

and see!". Love is more powerful, love gives life, love makes hope

blossom in the wilderness. With this joyful certainty in our hearts,

today we turn to you, risen Lord! Help us to seek you and to find you,

to realise that we have a Father and are not orphans, that we can love

and adore you. Help us to overcome the scourge of hunger, aggravated by

conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often

responsible. Enable us to protect the vulnerable, especially children,

women and the elderly, who are at times exploited and abandoned.

Enable us to care for our brothers and sisters struck by the Ebola

epidemic in Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and to care for

those suffering from so many other diseases which are also spread

through neglect and dire poverty. Comfort all those who cannot

celebrate this Easter with their loved ones because they have been

unjustly torn from their affections, like the many persons, priests and

laity who in various parts of the world have been kidnapped. Comfort

those who have left their own lands to migrate to places offering hope

for a better future and the possibility of living their lives in

dignity and, not infrequently, of freely professing their faith. We

ask you, Lord Jesus, to put an end to all war and every conflict,

whether great or small, ancient or recent. We pray in a particular way

for Syria, that all those suffering the effects of the conflict can

receive needed humanitarian aid and that neither side will again use

deadly force, especially against the defenceless civil population, but

instead boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue!

We ask you to comfort the victims of fratricidal acts of violence in Iraq

and to sustain the hopes raised by the resumption of negotiations

between Israelis and Palestinians. We beg for an end to the conflicts

in the Central African Republic and a halt to the brutal terrorist

attacks in parts of Nigeria and the acts of violence in South Sudan. We

ask that hearts be turned to reconciliation and fraternal concord

in Venezuela. By your resurrection, which this year we celebrate

together with the Churches that follow the Julian calendar, we ask

you to enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in

Ukraine so that all those involved, with the support of the

international community, will make every effort to prevent violence

and, in a spirit of unity and dialogue, chart a path for the

country's future. Lord, we pray to you for all the peoples of the

earth. You who have conquered death, grant us your life. Grant us your

peace. And now to the Easter blessing. The

Cardinal Beacon announces that those who receive this blessing here in

the square, by radio and television are granted a plenary indulgence

from the Catholic's teaching. And again now, the Pope, in his own

words, . Through the prayers and merit of the Blessed Mary, the

Virgin and Blessed Michael, the Archangel, the Blessed John the

Baptist and the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and of all the saints. May

Almighty God have mercy on you and with your sins forgiven. May Jesus

Christ grant everlasting life. Maybe Almighty and merciful Lord grant you

indulgence, absolution and remission of all your sins. And always

repentant heart, the grace and consolation of the holy spirit and

final perseverance in good works. Amen.

And now, everyone in this huge crowd in the square and beyond are

applauding the 10th two after we had -- they are applauding the Pope

after we heard his Easter message. Everyone is looking at the balcony,

some shouting up. Now the Pope, reading his greeting

to the people. Dear brothers and sisters, once again my wishes of

happy Easter to all of you who have come to the square from all over the

world. I extend Easter wishes to those from various countries

following us through social and other media. I grant your families

and communities the happy announcement that Christ, our peace

and our hope, is risen. Thank you for your presence, for your prayer

and for your testimony of faith. And a special thank you, the Pope says,

for the gift of the beautiful flowers from the Netherlands. And

again, as the Pope says to everybody, happy Easter, applause

rakes out, an eruption of applause right across this vast crowd. The

Pope is still standing on the balcony. His Easter message, then,

very consistent with the priorities of his first year in office, a

church in keeping with his choice of the name Francis for his papacy.

Identify blue, the Church of the poor and marginalised and with his

challenges to what he sees as the skewed priorities of the world. The

first specific concern he highlighted in the address, the

current and deadly Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the first time it

current and deadly Ebola epidemic in appeared in the region. Health

workers are placing themselves at high risk as they battle to contain

the disease. He has highlighted kidnappings, both of priests and lay

people as acknowledgement that the separation from their families is

felt particularly acutely at the time at Easter. His concern for

migrants hoping for a better and more dignified life . His first trip

outside Rome was to the Italian island of Lampedusa in the

Mediterranean, which has received so many migrants making the perilous

passage from North Africa. And the conflicts he drew attention to in

the message. Syria again, of course, with the call for access to

humanitarian aid and an end to the deadly use of force against

civilians. The Pope is still being applauded as he now turns to leave

the balcony. Among the other countries in his message, not

surprisingly Ukraine, the Pope urging support for the peace

initiatives and dialogue. And environmental concern as well. He

spoke of the scourge of hunger and the immense wastefulness for which

we are often was possible. The Pope clearly sees it as very important to

engage with people, and in doing so is non-judgemental. He wants to be

seen, above all, as a servant. As Rome celebrates Easter Day, the

Church is already declaring -- preparing for the declarations next

weekend. Pope John XXIII. It will be an historic double canonisation,

hundreds of thousands of people are expected for the ceremony. But for

now, as this Easter Mass draws to its conclusion, in a packed and very

sunny St Peter's Square, we say goodbye and a happy Easter.