Pope Francis has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages. He made this call on Sunday (March 31) in a speech given on the occasion of Easter Sunday, an important day for Christians. British news agency Reuters reported this news.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church (pontiff) presided over the Easter Sunday service in St. Peter’s Square. He then spoke from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, blessing the ‘urbi et orbi’ (city and world).
In his Urbi et Orbi speech, he called for humanitarian access to Gaza and the immediate release of Israeli hostages.
Showing the image of the war-torn Gaza, he also said how much pain is in the eyes of the children of Gaza, they have forgotten to smile. Children are asking us with their eyes, why? Why so many deaths? Why destroy this? He said, war is always irrational. War means defeat.
He also spoke about conflicts in other countries including Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, Sahel and Horn of Africa region, Congo and Mozambique.
Now 87-year-old Francis spends most of his days with illness. So sometimes he has to refrain from public speaking. For example, he did not speak on ‘Good Friday’ at the Colosseum in Rome.
However, Francis attended the Easter Sunday ceremony. He was very lively there. The Vatican said that about 60,000 people attended the ceremony.
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