VATICAN (voa) – Pope John Paul II has turned his traditional Easter message, entitled Urbi et Orbi (“To the city and to the world”) into a denunciation of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The pontiff, struggling with his own physical suffering, said the recent tragic events have plunged the Holy Land into horror and despair. He called on political and religious leaders, as well as Christians all over the world, to work together in bringing peace to the region.
The Easter address wrapped up a grueling series of Holy Week ceremonies in which the ailing, 81-year-old pope was forced to skip several rites for the first time in his 23-year-old papacy. Earlier, assisted by two cardinals, he celebrated Easter Sunday mass on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Late Saturday, the pontiff ushered in Easter in a three-hour service in Saint Peter’s Basilica. He remained seated, as he baptized nine converts from Albania, Japan, Poland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, China and Italy.
During Good Friday services at the Vatican, Pope John Paul prayed for peace in the Middle East, but cut short his usual participation in ceremonies at Rome’s ancient Coliseum.
