Pope Francis addresses Ukrainian mayor directly at Easter Vigil Mass

Created: 04/17/2022, 08:53

By: Richard Strobl

Pope Francis holds his head during the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

© Alessandra Tarantino/dpa

Pope Francis addressed the Ukrainian mayor who was present at the Easter Vigil Mass.

Rome – Pope Francis* commemorated the resurrection of Jesus Christ in an atmospheric mass during the Easter Vigil in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

He took up the Ukraine war several times and set an emotional climax in a free speech after his sermon.

Already in the sermon, Francis focused on Easter as a festival of hope and peace.

In the faith of Christians, the certainty that justice will triumph over evil is also linked to the resurrection of Jesus.

Francis spoke the sermon powerfully and emotionally himself.

He spoke of "nights of war" and called for gestures of peace, but otherwise did not go directly into the Ukraine war*.

Pope Francis speaks directly to Ukrainian mayor at Easter Mass

However, the Pope provided an emotional high point after his sermon: Francis addressed the mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol in a free speech.

Ivan Fedorov sat as a guest in the first row in St. Peter's Basilica.

"We all pray with you and for you," said Francis, "in this darkness in which you live, the darkness of war, of cruelty."

He encouraged the Ukrainians.

Fedorov was kidnapped by the Russians during the war and only released in the course of a prisoner exchange.

He was a guest at the Vatican together with parliamentarians.

Francis concluded his homily with the phrase "Christ is risen" in Ukrainian.

Easter Vigil: For the first time, Pope Francis does not lead the service himself

For the first time in the pontificate, the 85-year-old Argentinian refrained from leading the most important service of the church year himself;

this was taken over by Cardinal Dean Giovanni Battista Re.

Francis, who has already had many events this Holy Week and is also plagued by knee pain, followed the mass mostly sitting on an armchair in front of the around 5,500 believers.

In addition to the sermon, he baptized seven adults.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death on the cross is celebrated on the Holy Night before Easter Sunday.

The ceremony traditionally began with the procession into the dark cathedral behind the Easter candle, where the candles of the priests and believers in St. Peter's Basilica are lit to the call "Lumen Christi" (Light of Christ).

On Sunday (10:00 a.m.) the big Easter mass will take place on St. Peter's Square in front of tens of thousands of believers.

Afterwards (12.00) Francis will proclaim his Easter message and bestow the traditional blessing "Urbi et Orbi" on the city and the world.