Pope Francis led Saturday night's vigil in St. Peter's Basilica, criticizing the "icy breath of war" and other injustices.
The eighty-six-year-old head of the church, who was treated for a respiratory illness last week, did not participate in the Good Friday Stations of the Cross in the Roman Colosseum on Friday night due to the unusually cold weather.
At Saturday's ceremony, after the traditional lighting of the Easter candle, the Pope appeared in a wheelchair in the basilica to lead the Mass, during which he also baptized eight adults who had converted to Catholicism.
In his homily delivered to around 8,000 believers, the Pope spoke about the bitterness, shock and disillusionment felt by many today.
"It is possible that we feel abandoned and discouraged by the power of evil, the conflicts that tear apart relationships, the calculating and indifferent behavior that seems to take over in society, the cancer of corruption, the spread of injustice and the icy breath of war," he said.
Pope Francis called for an end to wars, again referring to Ukraine and its people - against which the Russian invasion was launched last year - as martyrs.
The Pope emphasized:
even if we feel that the source of hope has dried up, it is very important not to let the feeling of defeat turn us into stone, we must seek "inner resurrection" with the help of God.
Source: MTI
Photos: Vatican News
