The Lead
Let Us 'Renew Our Hope That Peace Is Possible'!
by Jason Ross (EIRNS) — Apr. 21, 2025
In what was to be his last Easter “Urbi et Orbi” address, Pope Francis gave specific, current application of his religious message that “Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand.”
He lamented the “great thirst for death, for killing,” seen in the conflicts raging around the world, but insisted that we should all “hope anew and to revive our trust in others.… For all of us are children of God!
“I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible!” he said.
“I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible! From the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of the Resurrection, where this year Easter is being celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox on the same day, may the light of peace radiate throughout the Holy Land and the entire world. I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,” he continued.
“I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation. I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people.…”
He spoke of Lebanon, of Syria, of the entire “beloved Middle East,” of Yemen, Ukraine, the South Caucasus, the Balkans, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan.
“I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the ‘weapons’ of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!
“May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions. In the face of the cruelty of conflicts that involve defenceless civilians and attack schools, hospitals and humanitarian workers, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is not targets that are struck, but persons, each possessed of a soul and human dignity.” [Emphasis added.]
The Pope, who had a special connection to Palestine, will be missed by many around the world. “Humanity lost a special soul today,” said Rev. Munther Isaac, Protestant pastor in Bethlehem, who said that the Pope’s frequent calls to the Christians in Gaza, and a solemn prayer that he said at the Separation Wall in Bethlehem built by Israel, speak to his concern for the Palestinians.
Key to wielding the “weapons of peace” is the establishment of a security and development framework commensurate with the human identity. Three specific steps toward achieving this bear mention: the International Peace Coalition established by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, the Global Security Initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping three years ago, and the efforts by Russia to reestablish U.S.-Russian relations on the basis of a shared anti-colonial commitment.
Contents
New World Paradigm
- The Weapons of Peace: Pope Francis's Easter Plea for Humanity (↓)
- Reflections from Bethlehem on Pope Francis's Legacy in Palestine (↓)
- Moscow: Work with a Revolutionary U.S. against British Empire & French Jacobins (↓)
- J.D. Vance and Family in India, Meet Modi (↓)
- Chinese Foreign Ministry Reflects on Three Years of Xi's 'Global Security Initiative' (↓)
U.S. and Canada
- U.S. Economists Issue Anti-Tariff Statement (↓)
- The 'Immortal Regiment' March To Resume in Washington, D.C. (↓)
Collapsing Imperial System
Strategic War Danger
Harley Schlanger Update
Watch The Daily Update with Harley Schlanger, a short video update available every weekday morning from The LaRouche Organization.
