Pope’s Easter Urbi et Orbi
message: “The contagion of hope”
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| Pope Francis delivers his 'Urbi et Orbi' message on Easter Sunday (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis’ 'Urbi et Orbi message on Easter Sunday
challenges us to ban indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness
during this time of Covid-19 – and to spread the “contagion” of hope.
By Seàn-Patrick Lovett
No banner hung from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
No bands played the Vatican anthem. No floral arrangements decorated St Peter’s
Square. Nearby streets were empty and silent, as Italy continues to respect a
nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
Inside the Basilica, surrounded only by his closest collaborators,
Pope Francis delivered his traditional Easter Urbi et Orbi message
to the city of Rome and the world.
A different “contagion”
Millions of people watched and listened on various media
platforms as the Pope repeated the Easter proclamation: “Christ, my hope, is
risen!”. He called this message “a different ‘contagion’”, one that is
transmitted “from heart to heart”.
This Good News is like a new flame that springs up “in the
night of a world already faced with epochal challenges, and now oppressed by a
pandemic severely testing our whole human family”, said the Pope.
Christ’s resurrection is not a “magic formula that makes
problems vanish”, he continued, “it is the victory of love over the root of
evil”. This victory “does not ‘by-pass’ suffering and death, but passes through
them, opening a path in the abyss, transforming evil into good”, he added.
Comfort for those affected by the coronavirus
The Pope’s thoughts turned immediately to those directly
affected by the coronavirus. “For many, this is an Easter of solitude, lived
amid the sorrow and hardship that the pandemic is causing, from physical
suffering to economic difficulties”, he said.
“This disease has not only deprived us of human closeness,
but also of the possibility of receiving in person the consolation that flows
from the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation”, said Pope
Francis.
“But the Lord has not left us alone”, he added. “United in
our prayer, we are convinced that He has laid His hand upon us”.
Gratitude to those providing essential services
The Pope then expressed his gratitude and affection to
doctors and nurses, and “to all who work diligently to guarantee the essential
services necessary for civil society, and to the law enforcement and military
personnel who in many countries have helped ease people’s difficulties and
sufferings”.
Encouragement to work for the common good
Pope Francis acknowledged that “this is also a time of worry
about an uncertain future, about jobs that are at risk”. He encouraged
political leaders “to work actively for the common good”, providing the means
“to enable everyone to lead a dignified life and, when circumstances allow, to
assist them in resuming their normal daily activities”.
Not a time for indifference
This is not a time for indifference, said the Pope, “because
the whole world is suffering and needs to be united in facing the pandemic”. He
prayed that the risen Jesus may grant hope “to all the poor, to those living on
the peripheries, to refugees and the homeless”. Pope Francis also called
for the relaxation of international sanctions and for “the reduction, if not
the forgiveness, of the debt burdening the balance sheets of the poorest
nations”.
Not a time for self-centredness
This is not a time for self-centredness, continued Pope
Francis, because “the challenge we are facing is shared by all”. Europe, in
particular, was able “to overcome the rivalries of the past” following the
Second World War, “thanks to a concrete spirit of solidarity”. It is urgent
“these rivalries do not regain force”, the Pope continued. We all need to
recognize ourselves “as part of a single family and support one another”.
Selfishly pursuing particular interests risks “damaging the peaceful
coexistence and development of future generations”, he added.
Not a time for division
This is not a time for division, said the Pope, as he
appealed for “an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world”.
Criticizing the vast amounts of money spent on the arms trade, Pope Francis
called for a solution to the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and
Lebanon. He said he hoped Israelis and Palestinians might resume dialogue, that
the situation in eastern Ukraine might be resolved, and that “terrorist attacks
carried out against so many innocent people in different African countries may come
to an end”.
Not a time for forgetfulness
This is not a time for forgetfulness, continued Pope
Francis, referring to the humanitarian crises being faced in Asia and Africa.
He prayed for refugees and migrants “living in unbearable conditions, especially
in Libya and on the border between Greece and Turkey”. The Pope prayed also
that solutions may be found in Venezuela, allowing “international assistance to
a population suffering from the grave political, socio-economic and health
situation” there.
Christ dispels the darkness of suffering
“Indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness
are not words we want to hear at this time”, said the Pope. These words “seem
to prevail when fear and death overwhelm us”, and we want to ban them forever,
he added.
Pope Francis concluded his Urbi et Orbi message
with a prayer: “May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us
the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and
lead us into the light of His glorious day. A day that knows no end”.
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