Pope Francis used his first Easter Sunday
address to call for peace in the world and appealed for a diplomatic solution
to the crisis on the Korean peninsula. In his first "Urbi et Orbi" (to the
city and the world) message, Francis also called for peace between Israelis and
Palestinians, an end to the civil war in Syria, and political solutions to
conflicts in several African countries. The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of
Argentina, who has made defence of nature an early hallmark of his pontificate,
also condemned the "iniquitous exploitation of natural resources" and
urged everyone to be "guardians" of creation.
Francis delivered his message from the
central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica - the same spot from where he first
appeared to the world as pope after his election on March 13 - to a crowd
estimated by the Vatican at at least 250,000 people. "Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean
peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation
grow," he said, speaking in Italian. North Korea said on Saturday it was entering
a "state of war" with South Korea. Tensions have been high since the
North's new young leader Kim Jong-un ordered a third nuclear weapons test in
February, breaching U.N. sanctions and ignoring warnings from North Korea's
sole major ally, China, not to do so.Francis, who has brought a more simple and
personal style to the papacy, said the message of Easter is that faith can help
people transform their lives by letting "those desert places in our hearts
bloom".
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