Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Easter vigil as pontiff on Saturday night at St. Peter's Basilica, calling for harmony and peace in a world afflicted by conflict. Carrying a tall lit candle through the darkened and silent basilica, he intoned, 'The light of Christ who rises in glory,' as candle bearers lit the candles of congregants, spreading flickers of light before the main altar.
In his homily, the Pope likened sin to a heavy stone that separates humanity from God, similar to the stone covering Jesus' tomb that was overturned at the resurrection. He identified modern 'stones' such as mistrust, fear, selfishness, resentment, war, injustice, and the isolation of peoples and nations, urging the faithful not to be paralysed by them. 'Let us not allow ourselves to be paralyzed by them!' he said, calling for a commitment to foster Easter gifts of harmony and peace worldwide.
The Pope has repeatedly called for a halt in hostilities amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran and Russia's campaign in Ukraine. On Palm Sunday, he stated that God does not listen to the prayers of those who make war or cite God to justify violence. During the Mass, he baptised ten adults from around the world, continuing a tradition.
Throughout Holy Week, Pope Leo carried the cross for all 14 stations during the Way of the Cross on Good Friday, a first for a pope in decades. On Holy Thursday, he washed the feet of 12 priests, restoring a tradition broken by his predecessor Pope Francis, who had included laypeople and non-Christians. On Sunday morning, the Pope will celebrate an open-air Mass in St. Peter's Square and deliver his Easter message and the traditional 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing.
