Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff on Sunday, delivering a call for peace amid ongoing global conflicts from St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The 70-year-old pontiff, who is the first U.S.-born pope, addressed approximately 50,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

In his Easter address, Pope Leo emphasized the Christian message of hope and resurrection while urging world leaders to pursue peace through dialogue rather than force. "Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue," the pope declared during his homily.

Notably, Pope Leo departed from the traditional format of the Urbi et Orbi blessing, which typically includes a detailed listing of the world's conflicts by name. Instead, he spoke generally about global violence and acknowledged widespread "indifference to the deaths of thousands of people" and "the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow." The pope quoted his predecessor, Pope Francis, who had spoken of "the great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day" during his final Easter appearance before his death.

During his first Easter as pontiff, Pope Leo announced a prayer vigil for peace scheduled for April 11 in the basilica. He also revived several traditional practices, including greeting the global faithful in 10 languages and washing priests' feet on Holy Thursday, departing from some of the more inclusive approaches adopted by Pope Francis.

Easter celebrations were notably subdued in other parts of the world affected by ongoing conflicts. In Jerusalem, traditional ceremonies at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were scaled back due to security restrictions, with authorities limiting public gatherings. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinian Christians celebrated their first Easter since a recent ceasefire, with worshippers at the Holy Family church expressing relief and joy. Armenian Christians in Tehran also maintained Easter observances despite ongoing regional tensions.