Commentary: Wilton Cardinal Gregory with a prayer for peace at Easter time

Pope Francis makes appeal for peace in Gaza in Easter message

(The Hill) — Pope Francis made a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and the “prompt” release of all Israel hostages during his traditional Easter message “to the city and the world” on Sunday.

The address came after Francis presided over Mass in the morning and made several loops around the piazza, greeting some of the tens of thousands of people that the Vatican estimated to be in attendance.

Francis appeared “in good form,” The Associated Press reported, after battling respiratory problems all winter. It was a reassuring sign after Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession and skipped the Palm Sunday Mass last week, leaving an open question as to whether he would be fully participating in the Easter celebrations.

Why is Easter never on the same Sunday?

From the central balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis delivered the traditional annual address, expressing his sympathies for those suffering throughout the world and calling for a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

“My thoughts go especially to the victims of the many conflicts worldwide, beginning with those in Israel and Palestine, and in Ukraine. May the risen Christ open a path of peace for the war-torn peoples of those regions. In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, all for the sake of all!

Francis called for humanitarian aid to be “ensured to Gaza,” for the “prompt” release of all Israeli hostages taken on Oct. 7, and for “an immediately cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip.

King Charles III in Easter message calls for kindness after cancer diagnosis

“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. How much suffering we see in the eyes of the children: the children in those lands at war have forgotten how to smile!” he added. “With those eyes, they ask us: Why? Why all this death? Why all this destruction? War is always an absurdity; war is always a defeat!”

“Let us not allow the strengthening winds of war to blow on Europe and the Mediterranean. Let us not yield to the logic of weapons and rearming. Peace is never made with arms, but with outstretched hands and open hearts.”

Francis said, “let us not forget Syria,” noting the immense suffering from “a long and devastating war.” He also expressed grief for the suffering of the Haitians and the Rohingya.

Francis appealed “to all who have political responsibilities to spare no efforts in combatting the scourge of human trafficking, by working tirelessly to dismantle the networks of exploitation and to bring freedom to those who are their victims.”

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Pope Francis makes appeal for peace in Gaza in Easter message

Pope Francis made a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and the “prompt” release of all Israel hostages during his traditional Easter message “to the city and the world” on Sunday.

Francis called for humanitarian aid to be “ensured to Gaza,” for the “prompt” release of all Israeli hostages taken on Oct. 7, and for “an immediately cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip.

Francis said, “let us not forget Syria,” noting the immense suffering from “a long and devastating war.” He also expressed grief for the suffering of the Haitians and the Rohingya.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

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Commentary: Wilton Cardinal Gregory with a prayer for peace at Easter time

Commentary: Wilton Cardinal Gregory with a prayer for peace at Easter time – CBS News

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As we enter the season of spring, and a significant time for many faiths, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., offers his thoughts on unity, and a wish for long-lasting peace in every part of the world.

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Zelensky issues Easter Sunday peace message to Ukrainians

President Volodymyr Zelensky called in an Easter Sunday message for Ukrainians to defend themselves against Russian aggression.

“Now there is no night or day when Russian terror does not try to break our lives,” Zelensky said in a post written in English on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Ukraine came under Russian attack in the early hours of Sunday, with energy infrastructure a particular target. The Ukrainian air force reported intercepting 18 of 27 attacks from drones, missiles and cruise missiles, but the authorities reported that some had struck their targets.

One person died in Lviv in the west of the country when infrastructure came under attack.

Tens of thousands were without power for a time in the Odessa region on the Black Sea, and power cuts were reported in other parts of the country as well.

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Pope Francis says “peace is never made with weapons” at Easter Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square

Rallying from a winter-long bout of respiratory problems, Pope Francis led some 30,000 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 presided over Easter Sunday Mass in a flower-decked St. Peter’s Square and then delivered a heartfelt prayer for peace in his annual roundup of global crises. In between, he made several loops around the piazza in his popemobile, greeting well-wishers.

“Peace is never made with weapons, but with outstretched hands and open hearts,” Francis said from the loggia overlooking the square, to applause from the wind-swept crowd below.

Francis appeared in good form, despite having celebrated the 2½-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.

The co-author of a new memoir of the pontiff told CBS News earlier this month that Francis only thinks about resignation because journalists ask him about it.

“In the book, we talk about the resignation,” Fabio Marchese Ragona said. “He said, ‘I am good right now, I don’t think resignation.'”

The Vatican said some 30,000 people attended the Mass, with more packing the Via della Conciliazione boulevard leading to the piazza. At the start of the service, a gust of wind knocked over a large religious icon on the altar just a few feet from the pope; ushers quickly righted it.

Pope Francis delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" message at St. Peter's Square — Pope Francis gestures from a balcony at St. Peter’s Square, on Easter Sunday, at the Vatican March 31, 2024.

Remo Casilli / REUTERS

Easter Mass is one of the most important dates on the liturgical calendar, celebrating what the faithful believe was Jesus’ resurrection after his crucifixion. The Mass precedes the pope’s “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing, in which the pope traditionally offers a laundry list of the threats afflicting humanity.

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.”

“In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for the sake of all!” he said.

He called for the “prompt” release of prisoners taken from Israel on Oct. 7, an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and for humanitarian access to reach Palestinians.

“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.

For the past few weeks, Francis has generally avoided delivering long speeches to avoid the strain on his breathing. He ditched his Palm Sunday homily last week and decided at the last minute to stay home from the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum.

The Vatican said in a brief explanation that the decision was made to “conserve his health.”

The decision clearly paid off, as Francis was able to recite the prayers of the lengthy Saturday night Easter Vigil service, including administering the sacraments of baptism and First Communion to eight new Catholics, and preside over Easter Sunday Mass and deliver his speech.

Easter Mass at St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican — A general view of St. Peter’s Square during the Easter Mass attended by Pope Francis, at the Vatican, March 31, 2024.

Remo Casilli / REUTERS

Francis wasn’t the only leader whose mere presence at Easter offered a reassuring sign of stability and normalcy.

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 monarch offered a cheery wave to spectators as he walked into St. George’s Chapel. A member of the public shouted “Happy Easter,” and Charles responded “And to you.”

But things were hardly normal in Jerusalem, where Easter Mass came and went at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Only a few dozen faithful attended the service as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in Gaza.

The medieval church in the Old City is the holy site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

In years past, the church has been packed with worshippers and tourists. But the bloody conflict in Gaza, now into its sixth month, has seen a huge downturn in tourism and pilgrimages across Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The streets of the old city were also absent of Palestinian Christians from the West Bank, who normally flock to the Holy City for Easter. Since the conflict erupted, Palestinian worshippers from the Israeli-occupied territory have needed special permission to cross checkpoints into Jerusalem.

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Haiti gang leader ‘Barbecue’ would take part in peace talks but resist foreign peacekeepers

The gang leader who has become the face of Haiti’s descent into lawlessness and violence has said he would consider calling a ceasefire only if his consortium of armed gangs was included in international talks on the country’s future.

Jimmy Chérizier, the former police officer better known via his nomme de guerre “Barbecue,” spoke to Stuart Ramsay, the chief correspondent for the U.K.’s Sky News, which like NBC News is owned by Comcast.

He warned that a foreign peacekeeping force would be treated as enemy fighters and meet armed resistance, and that a recent pause in violence was merely a technical halt.

“There is nothing calm, but when you’re fighting you have to know when to advance and when to retreat,” Chérizier said in the interview, which aired Friday.

“I think every day that passes we are coming up with a new strategy so we can advance, but there’s nothing calm. In the days that are coming things will get worse than they are now,” he said.

Chérizier leads the G9 collective of gangs but also leads Viv Ansanm, meaning “Living Together,” a revolutionary gang alliance.

Haiti Experiences Surge Of Gang Violence — Haitian Gang Leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Chérizier is flanked by his henchmen in Port-au-Prince on Feb. 22, 2024.Giles Clarke / Getty Images

As much of 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is now in the control of gangs after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced he would stand down on March 12 following months of unrest. The United Nations said an estimated 1,500 people have been killed in gang violence this year so far, and 4,500 last year, in a report released Thursday.

At least 450 U.S. nationals have been evacuated from Haiti since March 17, with efforts ongoing to airlift the remaining Americans there, the State Department said in a briefing Thursday.

The pan-Caribbean CARICOM group of nations and the United States pledged to help form a transitional government leading to a democratic nation — but for now the gangs still rule the streets.

Chérizier was dismissive of this process, but said he respected CARICOM and left open the possibility of taking part in a peace deal.

“If the international community comes with a detailed plan where we can sit together and talk, but they do not impose on us what we should decide, I think that the weapons could be lowered,” he said.

“We don’t believe in killing people and massacring people, we believe in dialogue, we have weapons in our hand and it’s with the weapons that we must liberate this country,” Chérizier added.

The consortium of armed gangs Chérizier leads says that Haiti has been controlled by corrupt politicians, dating back at least to the devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed about 220,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless. Many in Haiti believe that international aid money for reconstruction was mishandled.

Seen by some as a revolutionary leader, Chreizier has been accused of brutal violence for years, including the killing of at least 71 civilians and torching of some 400 homes in Port-au-Prince in 2018. That was at the time Haiti’s worst massacre in a decade and led to him being branded a human rights abuser by the U.S. Treasury.

Sky News had to travel along a deserted freeway with abandoned, burnt-out vehicles to reach the man known as Barbecue, who was surrounded by armed guards and carrying two weapons himself.

“We were told that their snipers were watching us, and to drive slowly, and follow our guide’s every move,” Ramsay wrote in his report. He described this once busy route into the capital as “a barricaded battlefield.”

The area claimed by Chérizier’s group was relatively calm and stable — food and water distribution is taking place, with orderly lines of people, he said.

But Chérizier made it clear that any foreign peacekeeping force sent in would face armed resistance.

Kenya has pledged to send 1,000 troops to coordinate a U.N.-backed alliance, but the plan is now on hold. Chérizier said the Kenyans would commit atrocities and he would not allow it.

“It’s evolving. If the Kenyan military or Kenyan police come, whatever, I will consider them as aggressors, we will consider them as invaders, and we do not have to collaborate with any invaders that have come to walk over our independence,” he said.

Chérizier predicted there would be a Haiti “where there are no kidnappings, without raping and killing people,” but this would require “corrupt politicians and the corrupt oligarchs” leaving.

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Filipino villager to be nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino villager plans to be nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.

Ruben Enaje, a 63-year-old carpenter and sign painter, said he and seven other villagers have registered for the real-life crucifixions, which have become an annual religious spectacle that draws hundreds of tourists in three rural communities in Pampanga province north of Manila.

The gory ritual resumed last year after a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has turned Enaje into a village celebrity for his role as the “Christ” in the Lenten reenactment of the Way of the Cross.

Ahead of the crucifixions, Enaje told The Associated Press by telephone Thursday night that he has considered ending his annual religious penitence due to his age but said he could not turn down requests from villagers for him to pray for sick relatives and all other kinds of maladies.

The need for prayers has also deepened in an alarming period of wars and conflicts worldwide, he said.

“If these wars worsen and spread, more people, especially the young and old, would be affected. These are innocent people who have totally nothing to do with these wars,” Enaje said.

Despite the distance, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have helped send the prices of oil, gas and food soaring elsewhere, including in the Philippines, making it harder for poor people to stretch their meagre income, he said.

Closer to home, the escalating territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has also sparked worries because it’s obviously a lopsided conflict, Enaje said. “China has many big ships. Can you imagine what they could do?” he asked.

“This is why I always pray for peace in the world,” he said and added he would also seek relief for people in southern Philippine provinces, which have been hit recently by flooding and earthquakes.

In the 1980s, Enaje survived nearly unscathed when he accidentally fell from a three-story building, prompting him to undergo the crucifixion as thanksgiving for what he considered a miracle. He extended the ritual after loved ones recovered from serious illnesses, one after another, and he landed more carpentry and sign-painting job contracts.

During the annual crucifixions on a dusty hill in Enaje’s village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga and two other nearby communities, he and other religious devotees, wearing thorny crowns of twigs, carry heavy wooden crosses on their backs for more than a kilometer (more than half a mile) often in the scorching summer heat. Village actors dressed as Roman centurions later hammer 4-inch (10-centimeter) stainless steel nails through their palms and feet, then set them aloft on wooden crosses under the sun for about 10 minutes as a large crowd prays and snaps pictures.

Other penitents walk barefoot through village streets and beat their bare backs with sharp bamboo sticks and pieces of wood. Some participants in the past opened cuts in the penitents’ backs using broken glass to ensure the ritual was sufficiently bloody.

Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for their sins, pray for the sick or for a better life, and give thanks for miracles.

The gruesome spectacle reflects the Philippines’ unique brand of Catholicism, which merges church traditions with folk superstitions.

Church leaders in the Philippines, the largest Catholic nation in Asia, have frowned on the crucifixions and self-flagellations. Filipinos can show their faith and religious devotion, they say, without hurting themselves and by doing charity work instead, such as donating blood, but the tradition has lasted for decades.

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Ukraine makes peace pitch in Saudi Arabia, but without Russia in the room

Ukraine makes peace pitch in Saudi Arabia, but without Russia in the room – CBS News

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More than 40 countries were in Saudi Arabia over the weekend to hear a peace pitch from Ukraine and its allies, but notably absent was Russia. In light of not being invited, Moscow has referred to the talks as a “hoax.” Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor joined CBS News to discuss the meeting.

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Chinese representative was active in Jeddah, Ukraine expects to see Xi Jinping at peace summit

Ukraine wants to see Chinese President Xi Jinping at the peace summit on the level of state leaders set to be conducted by the end of the year.

Source: Andrii Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Mykola Tochytskyi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, during a press conference after the meeting between political advisors in Saudi Arabia

Details: Yermak stated that the partners of Ukraine were surprised by active participation of Chinese representative Li Hui in the meeting.

Quote by Yermak: “The participation of China is very important. Its representative did not only arrive at the meeting but was also active during the talks and made a speech. In addition to this, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs then published a separate message about our meeting. It is quite significant.”

Details: Political advisors are to hold another meeting after the meeting in Saudi Arabia, after which Ukraine aims to also organise a peace summit on the level of heads of state. Yermak replied in the affirmative to the question of Ukrainska Pravda on whether Ukraine expects to see the Chinese leader at this meeting.

Quote by Tochytskyi: “We are working on it. It is obvious that since we are working with the Global South, we would like to involve such powerful players as the Chinese leader into our work.”

Details: Yermak added that according to Ukraine’s plan, nine groups are to start working towards the implementation of the Ukraine’s peace formula after the summit of the heads of states.

Quote by Yermak: “After that, with the agenda concerning all nine points of the peace formula prepared, the groups will gather at the second Peace Summit where a concrete document will be created, as provided for by the tenth point of the peace formula called the Documentation of the End of the War.”

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Pope discusses health, his ditched peace prayer in Fatima and LGBTQ+ Catholics in airborne briefing

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis said Sunday his recovery from his latest abdominal surgery is going well and stressed that he ditched speeches during his five-day trip to Portugal and spoke off-the-cuff not because he was tired or feeling unwell, but to better communicate with young people.

Francis was asked about his health en route home from Lisbon, where he presided over World Youth Day festival. It was his first trip since he was hospitalized in June for nine days following last-minute surgery to repair an abdominal hernia and remove intestinal scar tissue.

The trip, which came during a heat wave that sent temperatures to 40 degrees C (104F) in Lisbon, was notable because the 86-year-old pontiff deviated so often from his speeches, homilies and even prayers, which are usually drafted months in advance and crafted with specific events and audiences in mind.

One of the most notable deviations was a prayer for peace that Francis was supposed to have delivered in the Portuguese shrine of Fatima, which is famous precisely because of its century-old connection to exhortations for peace and Russia’s conversion in the aftermath of World War I.

Given Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, a papal peace prayer at Fatima was to have been one of the highlights of Francis’ visit, but also potentially problematic as the Vatican seeks to maintain relations with Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has strongly supported the Kremlin’s invasion.

Instead of pronouncing the prayer, Francis ad-libbed his speech before the statue of the Madonna and skipped the peace prayer entirely, reciting instead a Hail Mary with young disabled people. The Vatican later posted part of the prayer on the @Pontifex handle of the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Asked why, Francis insisted en route back to Rome that he had prayed silently for peace but didn’t want to give “publicity” to a public prayer.

“I prayed! I prayed! I prayed to the Madonna and I prayed for peace. I didn’t make publicity. But I prayed. And we have to continually repeat this prayer for peace.”

A Vatican official, speaking on condition he not be named, noted that Francis had originally wanted to travel to Fatima alone, with just a few gendarmes for a private visit, but relented to a proper visit. The official denied any ecclesial-diplomatic considerations entered Francis’ decision-making, suggesting instead that the omission was part of an attempt to separate Fatima’s mystical-religious value from its Soviet and World War I history.

Francis, meanwhile, said he cut short his other speeches because he realized young people “don’t have a lot of attention” and that he needed to engage them, not lecture them with lengthy, complicated discourses or homilies, he said.

“Homilies can sometimes be torture,” he said. “Bla, bla, bla.”

He said the church must come around to a new idea of homilies that are “brief and with a clear, loving message.”

On his recovery, Francis said he had the abdominal stitches removed, but that he had to wear a protective belt for two to three months to ensure the incision healed well. “My health is good,” he said.

In other comments, Francis affirmed that he included LGBTQ+ Catholics in his exhortation that “todos, todos, todos” (everyone, everyone, everyone) is welcome in the Catholic Church. The comment became something of a motto for this World Youth Day, reflective of his vision of an inclusive church, welcome to all.

“The church is mother,” he said. “Each of us finds God on his or her own path in the church. And the church is mother, and guides each one on his or her path.”

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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