Easter 2024

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Pope Francis celebrates Easter 2024: ‘Jesus Christ is risen’

March 31, 2024 Catholic News Agency 2
Pope Francis presides over Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square on March 31, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 31, 2024 / 08:15 am (CNA).

Pope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday 2024 before giving the traditional urbi et orbi blessing in the presence of approximately 60,000 people.

On a warm and windy Easter Sunday at the Vatican, Pope Francis proclaimed: “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.”

An icon of Christ was blown over by strong winds during Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square. Vatican Media
An icon of Christ was blown over by strong winds during Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. Vatican Media

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

Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in his urbi et orbi blessing, Pope Francis said that “today throughout the world there resounds the message proclaimed 2,000 years ago from Jerusalem: ‘Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, has been raised!’”

St. Peter’s Square was adorned with an array of over 21,000 flowers and plants from the Netherlands.

St. Peter's Square was adorned with an array of over 21,000 flowers and plants from the Netherlands for the Easter Sunday Mass on March 31, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media
St. Peter’s Square was adorned with an array of over 21,000 flowers and plants from the Netherlands for the Easter Sunday Mass on March 31, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

Three hundred priests, 18 bishops, and 34 cardinals concelebrated the Easter Sunday Mass on March 31. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re celebrated at the altar due to Francis’ difficulty walking and standing.

The Gospel reading, John 20:1-9, was proclaimed in Latin and Greek. The passage recounts the moment in which Mary Magdalene and the apostles Peter and John found the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection.

As is his custom, Francis did not give a homily after the Gospel but stayed a few moments in silent prayer. Pope Francis gave a homily at the Easter Vigil Mass, which can be read here.

The pope also participated in the “Resurrexit,” an ancient rite honoring an icon of the Holy Savior. At the conclusion of the liturgy, Pope Francis rode through St. Peter’s Square on the popemobile greeting enthusiastic pilgrims who waved flags and cheered.

Three hundred priests, 18 bishops, and 34 cardinals concelebrated the Easter Sunday Mass on March 31, 2024, with Pope Francis. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re celebrated at the altar due to Francis’ difficulty walking and standing. Credit: Vatican Media
Three hundred priests, 18 bishops, and 34 cardinals concelebrated the Easter Sunday Mass on March 31, 2024, with Pope Francis. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re celebrated at the altar due to Francis’ difficulty walking and standing. Credit: Vatican Media

In his urbi et orbi message following the Mass, the pope reflected on the “amazing discovery of Easter morning” as the women discovered an empty tomb.

“The tomb of Jesus is open and it is empty! From this, everything begins anew!” Pope Francis said.

“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.”

Pope Francis prayed for peace in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, and other parts of the world suffering from war and violence.

At the end of Easter Sunday Mass, Pope Francis rode through St. Peter’s Square on the popemobile greeting enthusiastic pilgrims who waved flags and cheered. Vatican Media
At the end of Easter Sunday Mass, Pope Francis rode through St. Peter’s Square on the popemobile greeting enthusiastic pilgrims who waved flags and cheered. Vatican Media

“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,” he said.

“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?”

“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 said.

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Pope Francis at Easter Vigil: Christ ‘is the one who brings us from darkness into light’

March 30, 2024 Catholic News Agency 2
Pope Francis presides at the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024 / Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Mar 30, 2024 / 17:22 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Saturday evening presided over the Easter Vigil Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica, reflecting on the gravity of Easter as a symbol of God’s reborn hope and the ultimate testament of life over death.

There were some concerns on Friday night about the pope’s wellbeing after the Holy Father canceled his attendance at Rome’s Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at the last minute. The Holy See Press Office said the pope made the decision “to conserve his health” for the lengthy Easter Vigil liturgy.

“This is the Pasch of Christ, the revelation of God’s power: The victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amid the ruins of failure. It is the Lord, the God of the impossible, who rolled away the stone forever,” the pope said on Saturday in front of nearly 6,000 faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica. 

Pope Francis celebrates the Vatican's Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Pope Francis celebrates the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA

“He is the one who brings us from darkness into light, who is bound to us forever, who rescues us from the abyss of sin and death, and draws us into the radiant realm of forgiveness and eternal life,” the pope continued in his homily. 

The dramatic liturgy opened with Saint Peter’s Basilica shrouded in darkness. The Holy Father was positioned in front of the 15th century Filarete Door (covered in a white curtain and an embroidered tapestry of the resurrected Christ).

The pope inscribed a cross and the alpha and omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet) on the white paschal candle, symbolizing Christ’s resurrection and the Christian hope of a new life in him.

Processing up the central nave of the basilica, a deacon carried the candle, pausing and chanting at three different times “Lumen Christi” (Light of Christ) to which the congregation responded “Deo Gratias” (Thanks be to God). 

The paschal candle is processed at the Vatican's Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
The paschal candle is processed at the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA

This moment was followed by the chanting of the Exultet, or the Easter proclamation, an ancient prayer which invites the faithful to join the church in celebrating Christ’s resurrection.

Pope Francis opened his homily by reflecting on the anguish and consternation of the women depicted in the Gospel who with “the tears of Good Friday … not yet dried” approached the tomb that had been obstructed with a stone. 

“That stone, an overwhelming obstacle, symbolized what the women felt in their hearts. It represented the end of their hopes, now dashed by the obscure and sorrowful mystery that put an end to their dreams.” 

“That stone marked the end of Jesus’ story, now buried in the night of death. He, the life that came into the world, had been killed,” the pope continued. 

Clergy and visitors assemble at the Vatican's Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Clergy and visitors assemble at the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA

But, the pope noted, the women, upon casting their gazes upward, found the stone rolled away, a moment showcasing “the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amid the ruins of failure.” 

The pope related the initial anguish, and hope, of the women present at the sepulchre, noting that today we each “encounter such ‘tombstones’ on our journey through life in all the experiences and situations that rob us of enthusiasm and of the strength to persevere.” 

Yet the pope implored the faithful to not succumb to despondency but instead draw hope from the resurrection.

“If we allow Jesus to take us by the hand, no experience of failure or sorrow, however painful, will have the last word on the meaning and destiny of our lives. Henceforth, if we allow ourselves to be raised up by the Risen Lord, no setback, no suffering, no death will be able to halt our progress towards the fullness of life.” 

“Then no stone will block the way to our hearts, no tomb will suppress the joy of life, no failure will doom us to despair,” the pope continued. “Let us lift our eyes to him and ask that the power of his resurrection may roll away the heavy stones that weigh down our souls.”

Following a brief moment of reflection at the end of the homily, Pope Francis opened up the baptismal rite. With the blessing of the water, and a public recitation of vows, the Holy Father personally baptized eight adults: four Italians, two Koreans, a Japanese man, and an Albanian.

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