Pope prays for peace in Middle East

After Mass, before giving his solemn blessing, Pope Francis said Easter should give people the courage to "blaze trails of reconciliation with God and with all our brothers and sisters."

Speaking about Christ's power over death and sin, the pope prayed that the Lord would touch places in the globe scarred by war, terrorism, poverty and environmental destruction.

"The risen Christ points out paths of hope to beloved Syria, a country torn by a lengthy conflict, with its sad wake of destruction, death, contempt for humanitarian law and the breakdown of civil concord," the pope said. "To the power of the risen Lord we entrust the talks now in course."

He prayed that the power of the Resurrection would "overcome hardened hearts and promote a fruitful encounter of peoples and cultures," particularly in Iraq, Yemen, Libya and the Holy Land.

"May the Lord of life also accompany efforts to attain a definitive solution to the war in Ukraine, inspiring and sustaining initiatives of humanitarian aid, including the liberation of those who are detained," he prayed.
On Easter and throughout the Holy Week liturgies that preceded it, Pope Francis showed special concern for the fate of refugees and migrants fleeing violence and poverty and for Christians facing persecution in the Middle East and other parts of the world.