Pope Francis calls for peace in Gaza and then descends among the faithful in St. Peter's Square

Vatican City – A packed St. Peter’s Square welcomed Pope Francis for the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing, the culmination of the Easter celebrations.

The Pontiff, appearing from the Loggia delle Benedizioni, launched a heartfelt appeal for peace, with a particular focus on the dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip.

After the Easter mass, celebrated by the Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Pope Francis greeted the faithful with a few words, entrusting the reading of the Urbi et Orbi message to Monsignor Diego Ravelli.

In the text, the Pope reiterated the sacredness of life, condemning violence against women and children, and contempt towards the weakest, the marginalized and migrants.

The heart of his message was dedicated to Holly Land, with a complaint from the “dramatic and ignoble humanitarian situation” a Gaza.

“I appeal to the warring parties: cease fire, release the hostages and provide aid to the people, who are hungry and aspire to a future of peace!”, he begged the Pope, also expressing concern for the “growing climate of anti-Semitism” in the world.

Francis then turned his gaze to Ukraine, hoping for a “just and lasting peace” and stressing the importance of disarmament. “No peace is possible without true disarmament! The need that every people has to provide for its own defense cannot be transformed into a general race for rearmament”, he has declared.

No mention, however, of the Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At the end of the blessing, Pope Francis surprised the faithful with a tour in the popemobile through the square, greeting and blessing the crowd. A gesture that had not been repeated for a long time, a sign of the Pope's renewed closeness to his people.