"Urbi et orbi" means "To the city [of Rome] and to the world." I

t is a special apostolic blessing given by the pope every year on Easter Sunday, Christmas, and other special occasions.

Here is the full text of the pope's blessing:

Dear brothers and sisters: Happy Easter!

Today throughout the world there resounds the message proclaimed 2,000 years ago from Jerusalem: "Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, has been raised!" (Mk 16:6).

The Church relives the amazement of the women who went to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. The tomb of Jesus had been sealed with a great stone.

Today too, great stones, heavy stones, block the hopes of humanity: the stone of war, the stone of humanitarian crises, the stone of human rights violations, the stone of human trafficking, and other stones as well.

Like the women disciples of Jesus, we ask one another: "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" (cf. Mk 16:3).

This is the amazing discovery of that Easter morning: The stone, the immense stone, was rolled away.

The astonishment of the women is our astonishment as well: The tomb of Jesus is open, and it is empty!

From this, everything begins anew!

A new path leads through that empty tomb: The path that none of us, but God alone, could open: the path of life in the midst of death, the path of peace in the midst of war, the path of reconciliation in the midst of hatred, the path of fraternity in the midst of hostility.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is risen! He alone has the power to roll away the stones that block the path to life.

He, the living One, is himself that path.

He is the Way: the way that leads to life, the way of peace, reconciliation, and fraternity.

He opens that path, humanly impossible, because he alone takes away the sin of the world and forgives us our sins. For without God's forgiveness, that stone cannot be removed.

Without the forgiveness of sins, there is no overcoming the barriers of prejudice, mutual recrimination, the presumption that we are always right and others wrong.

Only the risen Christ, by granting us the forgiveness of our sins, opens the way for a renewed world.

Jesus alone opens up before us the doors of life, those doors that continually we shut with the wars spreading throughout the world.

Today we want, first and foremost, to turn our eyes to the holy city of Jerusalem, that witnessed the mystery of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and to all the Christian communities of the Holy Land.

Victims of conflict

My thoughts go especially to the victims of the many conflicts worldwide, beginning with those in Israel and Palestine, and in Ukraine.

May the risen Christ open a path of peace for the war-torn peoples of those regions.

In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for the sake of all!

I appeal once again that access to humanitarian aid be ensured to Gaza, and call once more for the prompt release of the hostages seized on 7 October last and for an immediate cease-fire in the Strip.

Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population, by now at the limit of its endurance, and above all on the children.

How much suffering we see in the eyes of the children: The children in those lands at war have forgotten how to smile!

With those eyes, they ask us: Why? Why all this death? Why all this destruction?

War is always an absurdity, war is always a defeat!

Let us not allow the strengthening winds of war to blow on Europe and the Mediterranean.

Let us not yield to the logic of weapons and rearming. Peace is never made with arms, but with outstretched hands and open hearts.

Brothers and sisters, let us not forget Syria, which for 13 years has suffered from the effects of a long and devastating war.

So many deaths and disappearances, so much poverty and destruction call for a response on the part of everyone, and of the international community.

My thoughts turn today in a special way to Lebanon, which has for some time experienced institutional impasse and a deepening economic and social crisis, now aggravated by the hostilities on its border with Israel.

May the risen Lord console the beloved Lebanese people and sustain the entire country in its vocation to be a land of encounter, coexistence, and pluralism.

I also think in particular of the region of the Western Balkans, where significant steps are being taken toward integration in the European project.

May ethnic, cultural, and confessional differences not be a cause of division but rather a source of enrichment for all of Europe and for the world as a whole.

I likewise encourage the discussions taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan, so that, with the support of the international community, they can pursue dialogue, assist the displaced, respect the places of worship of the various religious confessions, and arrive as soon as possible at a definitive peace agreement.

The risen Christ

May the risen Christ open a path of hope to all those who in other parts of the world are suffering from violence, conflict, food insecurity, and the effects of climate change.

May the Lord grant consolation to the victims of terrorism in all its forms. Let us pray for all those who have lost their lives and implore the repentance and conversion of the perpetrators of those crimes.

May the risen Lord assist the Haitian people, so that there can soon be an end to the acts of violence, devastation, and bloodshed in that country, and that it can advance on the path to democracy and fraternity.

May Christ grant consolation and strength to the Rohingya, beset by a grave humanitarian crisis, and open a path to reconciliation in Myanmar, torn for years now by internal conflicts, so that every logic of violence may be definitively abandoned.

May the Lord open paths of peace on the African continent, especially for the suffering peoples in Sudan and in the entire region of the Sahel, in the Horn of Africa, in the region of Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in the province of Capo Delgado in Mozambique, and bring an end to the prolonged situation of drought, which affects vast areas and provokes famine and hunger.

May the Risen One make the light of his face shine upon migrants and on all those who are passing through a period of economic difficulty, and offer them consolation and hope in their moment of need.

Be of goodwill

May Christ guide all persons of goodwill to unite themselves in solidarity, in order to address together the many challenges that loom over the poorest families in their search for a better life and happiness.

On this day when we celebrate the life given us in the resurrection of the Son, let us remember the infinite love of God for each of us: a love that overcomes every limit and every weakness.

And yet how much the precious gift of life is despised!

How many children cannot even be born? How many die of hunger and are deprived of essential care or are victims of abuse and violence?

How many lives are made objects of trafficking for the increasing commerce in human beings?

This is the day

Brothers and sisters, on the day when Christ has set us free from the slavery of death, I appeal to all who have political responsibilities to spare no efforts in combatting the scourge of human trafficking, by working tirelessly to dismantle the networks of exploitation, and to bring freedom to those who are their victims.

May the Lord comfort their families, above all those who anxiously await news of their loved ones, and ensure them comfort and hope.

May the light of the Resurrection illuminate our minds and convert our hearts, and make us aware of the value of every human life, which must be welcomed, protected, and loved.

A happy Easter to all!

• Pope Francis was elected to the papacy in 2013. He is the first Jesuit and the first Latin American to become pope.

The 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing, 'to the city and the world', was delivered in an empty St Peter's Square.

In stark contrast, the blessing is normally given at Easter and Christmas when St Peter's is packed with pilgrims.

Leading the prayer service Francis implored God to rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked such havoc.

In his homily, Francis referenced Christ's words in the Gospel of Mark 4:35-41 where Jesus disciples, fearing they would drown in a boat during a storm, beg Jesus "to save them."

Echoing Jesus's response to the disciples, Francis said: "Do not be afraid".

"The Lord will not leave us at the mercy of the storm."

This moment is "a time to choose what matters in life and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not."

"It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others," he said.

"Like the disciples, we will experience that with him on board there will be no shipwreck. Because this is God's strength: turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies."

Reinforcing the seriousness of the occasion Francis was supported two greatly venerated images placed in front of the gates of St. Peter's during the service.

One was an icon of Our Lady with the child Jesus in her arms, which is believed to have helped rid the city of the plague in the 6th century and cholera in the 19th.

The other image was the miraculous cross from the church of St. Marcello, which is said to have helped counter the plague in 1522.

It has been processed through the city every Holy year (which occur every 50 years) since then.

The names of all the popes (most recently Pope St John Paul II during the Jubilee Year 2000) have witnessed these processions are engraved on its back.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• America Magazine
• America Magazine
• Image: Vatican Media
  

"This Friday, March 27 at 6 p.m., I will preside over a moment of prayer outside of St. Peter's Basilica with the square empty."

In addition to announcing the special blessing, Pope Francis said that at a time "when humanity trembles" because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was asking Christians of every denomination to join together at noon March 25 to recite the Lord's Prayer.

The Catholic Church and many others mark March 25 as the feast of the Annunciation.

"Urbi et orbi" means "To the City [of Rome] and to the World."

It is a special apostolic blessing given by the pope from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica every year on Easter Sunday, Christmas, and other special occasions.

"All those who spiritually join this moment of prayer through the media will be granted the plenary indulgence according to the conditions provided for in the recent decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary," Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni told journalists following the pope's announcement.

An indulgence is an ancient practice of prayer and penance for the remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven.

In Catholic teaching, a person can draw on the merits of Jesus and the saints to claim the indulgence for themselves or offer it on behalf of someone who has died.

The Vatican's Apostolic Penitentiary has also granted a plenary indulgence for people who pray for an end to the pandemic, healing for the sick, and the eternal repose of the dead.

In this case, the person must also fulfil the ordinary conditions of an indulgence, which are sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist, and prayer for the intentions of the pope, by having the will to satisfy the conditions as soon as possible for them.

Source

• catholicnewsagency.com
• catholicnews.com
• Image: shortwavearchive.com

The Pope mentioned Iraq and Syria, Libya, Yemen, Nigeria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Ukraine.

Francis also called on Christians to look at Christ's Resurrection story to remember that they are called to be "seeds of another humanity" that is not arrogant or violent.

Mentioning Christians suffering persecution, Francis asked: "Jesus, the Victor, to lighten the sufferings of our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence."

The Pope also prayed for a "resumed" peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

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An estimated 150,000 people were gathered on Easter Sunday in St Peter's Square.

The Pope delivered his traditional blessing and address Urbi et Orbi, "to the city and to the world" from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica.

Pope Francis said the Resurrection of Jesus is "is the basis of our faith and our hope".

"If Christ were not raised, Christianity would lose its very meaning; the whole mission of the Church would lose its impulse, for this is the point from which it first set out and continues to set out ever anew," he said.

Pope Francis used the phrase "Come and see" from the story of the empty tomb in Matthew's Gospel.

Francis said that "in every human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and faithful love".

"It is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life's troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast," he said.

"Come and see," Francis continued.

"Love is more powerful, love gives life, love makes hope blossom in the wilderness."

"With this joyful certainty in our hearts, today we turn to you, risen Lord," said Francis

The Pope prayed particularly for peoples in Syria, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Nigeria, South Sudan, Venezuela, and Ukraine.

He noted that the Roman church is celebrating this Easter along with the Orthodox churches in an unusual alignment of their separate liturgical calendars.

Among those the Pope prayed for were those with hunger, "aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible".

He also prayed for the vulnerable, "especially children, women and the elderly, who are at times exploited and abandoned".

And he prayed for those afflicted by a new Ebola disease outbreak in West Africa.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• Vatican News
• Source: Daily Mail