Pope Leo XIV Denounces 'Globalization of Indifference' in First Easter Urbi et Orbi

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass on April 5, 2026, in St. Peter's Square, calling on "those who have the power to start wars" to "choose peace" as the conflict between Iran and Israel cast a shadow over Christian celebrations across the Middle East. Tens of thousands of the faithful gathered under a radiant sun in a square adorned with thousands of flowers, accompanied by trumpets and liturgical chants. During his traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing, the Pope denounced what he called the "globalization of indifference in the face of death," warning that societies were growing numb to the consequences of armed conflict. Breaking with a tradition observed by his predecessors for years, Leo XIV named no specific country or region in crisis during the address. He then wished "Happy Easter" to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in ten languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Polish, and Latin, before the bells rang out in full peal.

Pope warns against indifference as Middle East war reshapes Easter In his sermon before the Urbi et Orbi blessing, Leo XIV pointed to "the idolatry of profit that pillages natural resources and the violence of war, which kills and destroys," as well as "the repression of the weakest" and "the greed that plunders the Earth's resources." He declared that people were becoming "indifferent to the death of thousands of people" and to "the repercussions of hatred and divisions that conflicts sow" along with their "economic and social consequences." The Pope also invoked the concept of a "globalization of indifference," a phrase he attributed to the final public words of his predecessor, Pope Francis, spoken from the same balcony exactly one year earlier. Throughout Holy Week, Leo XIV had multiplied diplomatic appeals, meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on Friday, April 3, and calling on United States President Donald Trump to seek a way out of the Middle East conflict.

„I am told that President Trump recently stated he wants to end the war. I hope he is looking for a way out. I hope he is looking for a way to reduce the violence and the bombings, which would contribute greatly to soothing the hatred that is spreading and continues to grow in the Middle East and elsewhere.” — Pope Leo XIV via Ouest France

He also announced a prayer vigil for peace to be held in St. Peter's Square on April 11, 2026.

Holy Sepulchre doors shut, Christian villages under fire in Lebanon The war's reach extended visibly into the holiest sites of Christianity. In Jerusalem, liturgical celebrations inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre were held behind closed doors, following restrictions on gatherings imposed since the outbreak of the war with Iran on February 28. Israeli police roadblocks filtered the rare faithful authorized to approach the site on Sunday morning. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, noted in his homily that "the doors remain closed" and that "the silence is almost absolute, only disturbed in the distance by the ravages that war continues to cause on this holy and torn land." One resident of Jerusalem's old city, Jack Straw, 52, said it was "the first time in my life that I see a holy place totally closed," adding that the Sepulchre was "the symbol of the most important event in Christian history." In Lebanon, majority-Christian localities in the south were caught in fighting between Israel and the Shiite movement Hezbollah, with inhabitants of the village of Debel, near the Israeli border, preparing Easter Mass while bombardments echoed around them. A town official, Joseph Attieh, described the situation as "tragic," saying "people are terrified" and that bombardments and gunfire had not stopped since Friday evening, though the Mass proceeded as planned.

First American pope marks a year in office with encyclical expected Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago on September 14, 1955, was elected on May 8, 2025, at the conclusion of the conclave following the death of Pope Francis. He is the first pope born in the United States and the first from the Order of Saint Augustine. His election came after a career as a missionary in Peru. The war between Iran and Israel, which broke out on February 28, 2026, has since reshaped the geopolitical and humanitarian landscape across the Middle East, affecting Christian communities from Jerusalem to Lebanon.

Leo XIV was elected on May 8, 2025, making the Easter celebration on April 5, 2026, his first as head of the Holy See. Theologian Jean-François Colosimo, head of Cerf, the publisher of popes in France, told Ouest France that the Pope's Easter message foreshadows the upcoming publication of his first encyclical, expected around the anniversary of his election. The encyclical is said to follow in the footsteps of the social doctrine of Leo XIII, the 19th-century pope whose name Leo XIV adopted. In Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, masses were reported canceled from Friday until further notice. The Pope is also expected to undertake a major trip to Africa from April 13 to 23, with stops including Algeria, Cameroon, and Angola, according to Ouest France.

„We are becoming accustomed to violence, we are resigning ourselves to it and we are becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the death of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and divisions that conflicts sow.” — Pope Leo XIV via RTBF

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