Pope Francis asperses holy water as he celebrates Easter mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Rallying from a winter-long bout of respiratory problems, Pope Francis led some 60,000 people in Easter celebrations Sunday and made a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.
Francis appeared in good form, despite having celebrated the 2 1/2-hour nighttime Easter Vigil just hours before. The pontiff, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling respiratory problems all winter and his full participation in Easter services was not entirely guaranteed, especially after he skipped the traditional Good Friday procession.
This year, Francis said his thoughts went particularly to people in Ukraine and Gaza and all those facing war, particularly the children who he said had “forgotten how to smile.” “Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population, by now at the limit of its endurance, and above all on the children,” he said in a speech that also touched on the plight of Haitians, the Rohingya and victims of human trafficking.
In Britain, King Charles III joined the queen and other members of the royal family for an Easter service at Windsor Castle in his most significant public outing since he was diagnosed with cancer last month. The medieval church in the Old City is the holy site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.