The longing for peace is broken by the cruelty of hatred and the savagery of war, said Pope Francis in his homily at the Saturday evening vigil, which he personally led in St. Peter's Basilica.

In his speech, Pope Francis compared the stone blocking the tomb of Christ to the one that, according to him, weighs on the hearts of people today, "suffocating life, extinguishing trust, locking us in the tomb of fear and bitterness, blocking the way to joy and hope."

The head of the church called the egoism and indifference a "rubber wall"

which make us unable to build more just and humane cities and societies, the "stones of death" when the longing for peace is broken by the cruelty of hatred and the savagery of war. "Here is the Easter of Christ, here is the power of God: the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope over the ruins of failure," said Pope Francis.

The head of the church initially led the vigil in a wheelchair, then sitting on a chair.

At the ceremony, he baptized several adults: four Italians, two Koreans, one Japanese and one Albanian.

According to the tradition of the Easter vigil, the ceremony started from the vestibule of St. Peter's Basilica, where

they blessed the fire and then "prepared" the Easter candle,

that is, a cross was engraved in it, as well as the Greek letters alpha and omega, and this year's number. After that, the candle was lit.

Priests and believers walked along the nave of the basilica to the altar.

St. Peter's Basilica, full of believers, was completely silent and dark, only the candles in the hands of those present lit up, and later the lights were turned on. The bells of the basilica rang: they returned from Rome to the churches of the world, which had been silent for the last three days.

According to the Vatican

about six thousand were in the basilica.

On Sunday morning, Pope Francis will present the festive mass in St. Peter's Square, then deliver his Easter message, followed by the Urbi et Orbi blessing.

MTI

Featured Image: Pope Francis leads the Easter Vigil in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on March 30, 2024. MTI/AP/Alessandra Tarantino