“Evil has not disappeared from our history, but it no longer has the upper hand”

Christ is resurrected, Halleluuia!

Brothers and sisters, happy Easter!

Today, the Halleluia finally resonates in the church, repercussions from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart, and its song causes tears of joy to the people of God around the world.

From the empty tomb of Jerusalem reaches us the unprecedented announcement: Jesus, the crucified, “is not here, he is resurrected” (Lc 24, 6). He is not in the tomb, he is alive!

Love has defeated hatred. The light has defeated darkness. The truth has defeated the lie. Forgiveness has defeated revenge. Evil has not disappeared from our history, it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand, it has no more power over those who welcome the grace of this day.

Sisters and brothers, especially you who are in suffering and anxiety, your silent cry has been heard, your tears were collected, not even one was lost! In the passion and the death of Jesus, God has taken on him all the evil in the world and, in his infinite mercy, he defeated him: he has uprooted the diabolical pride which poisons the heart of man and sows everywhere violence and corruption. God’s lamb defeated! This is why today we are proclaiming: “Christ, my hope, has risen!” (Pascale sequence).

Yes, the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of hope: from this event, hoping is no longer an illusion. No. Thanks to the crucified and risen Christ, hope is not disappointed! SPES not confunded! (cf. RM 5, 5). And it is not an evasive, but engaging hope; She is not alienating, but responsibility.

Those who hope in God put their fragile hands in his tall and strong hand, let themselves be raised and set out: with the risen Jesus, they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses of the victory of love, of the disarmed power of life.

Christ is resurrected! This announcement contains the full meaning of our existence, which is not made for death but for life. Easter is the feast of life! God has created us for life and wants humanity to resuscitate! In his eyes, each life is precious! That of the child in his mother’s belly, like that of the elderly or sick person, considered in an increasing number of countries as people to be rejected.

What a desire for death we see every day in the many conflicts that affect different parts of the world! What violence we often also see in families, with regard to women or children! What contempt is sometimes nourished by the weakest, marginalized, migrants!

On this day, I would like us to start to hope for and have confidence in others, even in those who are not close to us or who come from distant countries with uses, lifestyles, different ideas and customs from those who are most familiar to us, because we are all children of God!

I would like us to start to hope that peace is possible! From the Holy Sepulcher, the resurrection church, where this Easter year is celebrated the same day by Catholics and Orthodox, which the light of peace radiates throughout the Holy Land and the whole world. I am close to the sufferings of Christians from Palestine and Israel, as well as all the Israeli people and all the Palestinian people. The climate of growing anti -Semitism that spreads around the world is worrying. At the same time, my thoughts go to the population and in particular to the Christian community of Gaza, where the terrible conflict continues to sow death and destruction and to cause a dramatic and despicable humanitarian situation. I call the belligerents: stop fire, that the hostages are released and that precious aid is brought to the hungry population which aspires to a future of peace!

Let us pray for the Christian communities of Lebanon and Syria which aspire to stability and to participate in the fate of each nation, while this last country is going through a delicate period of its history. I urge the whole church to accompany Christians from the beloved Middle East by attention and prayer.

I also address a particular thought of the people of Yemen, who are experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises “prolonged” in the world, because of the war, and I call everyone to find solutions through a constructive dialogue.

May the Risen Christ spreads the Pascal Don of Peace on Buried Ukraine and encourages all actors to continue efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.

On this festive day, let us think of the Southern Caucasus and pray that a final peace agreement is quickly signed and implemented between Armenia and Azerbaijan, leading to so desired reconciliation in the region.

That Easter light inspires concord proposals in Western Balkans and helps political actors work to avoid the rise of tensions and crises, as well as the actors of the region to reject dangerous and destabilizing behavior.

That the risen Christ, our hope, grants peace and comfort to African populations victims of violence and conflicts, in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan, and that he supports those who suffer from tensions in the Sahel, in the horn of Africa and in the region of the Great Lakes, without forgetting Christians who, in many places, cannot profess their faith.

No peace is possible where there is no religious freedom or freedom of thought and expression, nor respect for the opinions of others.

No peace is possible without real disarmament! The need of each people to provide for their own defense cannot transform themselves into a general race for rearmament. May the light of Easter lead us to shoot down the barriers which create divisions and which are heavy with political and economic consequences. That it pushes us to take care of each other, to increase our mutual solidarity, to work to promote the integral development of any human person.

These days, let’s help the Burmese people, tormented for years by an armed conflict, and who courageously faces the consequences of the devastating earthquake in Sagaing having caused the death of thousands of people and caused the suffering of many survivors, including orphans and the elderly. We pray for the victims and their loved ones and thank all the generous volunteers who participate in rescue operations. The announcement of a cease-fire by various actors in the country is a sign of hope for all myanmar.

I call all those who, in the world, have political responsibilities, not to give in to the logic of fear that encloses, but to use the resources available to help people in need, fight against hunger and promote initiatives that promote development. These are the “weapons” of peace: those that build the future, instead of sowing death!

That the principle of humanity is never abandoned, because it is the keystone of our daily action. Faced with the cruelty of conflicts which involve defenseless civilians, who attack schools and hospitals as well as humanitarian agents, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that these are not targets that are affected, but people with soul and dignity.

And in this jubilee year, whether Easter is also an opportunity to release prisoners of war and political prisoners!

Dear brothers and sisters, in Easter of the Lord, death and life clashed in a prodigious duel, but the Lord now lives forever (cf. Pascale sequence) and gives us the certainty that we too are called to participate in life that does not know any decline, in which we will no longer hear the crash of arms or the echoes of death. Ourselves to him who alone can do all new things (cf. AP 21, 5)!

Happy Easter to all!