“Peace is never made with arms, but with outstretched hands and open hearts,” Pope Francis said in his Easter Message—called the “Urbi et Orbi,” to the city and the world. He called for specific, concrete, immediate steps that political leaders could take to end the wars and bring peace to the Holy Land and to Ukraine.
Pope Francis called for three actions to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land: “That access to humanitarian aid be ensured for the people of Gaza;” for “the prompt release of the Oct. 7 hostages,” and for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.” Significantly too, he appealed for the “respect for the principles of international law” both there and in Ukraine. Most surprising of all, he called for “a general exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, all for the sake of all,” a step that could open the path to ending the two-year-long war in Ukraine.
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