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Pope Francis has called on the faithful to rejoice and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ in spite of the personal and global political crises.<\/p>\n

These crises are \u201cboulders of death,\u201d the head of the Catholic Church said at Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday in Saint Peter\u2019s Basilica in Rome.<\/p>\n

Particularly, he mentioned the ruthlessness of hatred and the cruelty of war, which break the longing for world peace, but also selfishness and indifference.<\/p>\n

The 87-year-old said Easter would roll away those boulders.<\/p>\n

Around 6,000 people attended the celebration to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica.<\/p>\n

According to the pontiff, Easter should encourage people and give them hope: \u201cThis is the power of God: the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope in the midst of the ruins of failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Holy Week, the Easter Vigil is a cause for joy, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSister, brother, may your heart burst into joy on this holy night!\u201d the pontiff said in his homily.<\/p>\n

On the night before Easter Sunday, Christians prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death on the cross.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the celebration, the Easter candle was carried through St. Peter\u2019s Basilica in a procession in complete darkness \u2013 the darkness is intended to symbolise life without faith.<\/p>\n

The candles of the priests and faithful were then lit from the Easter candle to the cry of \u201cLumen Christi,\u201d Latin for the \u201cLight of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the celebration, Francis baptized eight adults: four Italians, two South Koreans, a Japanese man and a woman from Albania.<\/p>\n

The pontiff performed the ceremony sitting down.<\/p>\n

Francis read his sermon himself, but his voice was hoarse.<\/p>\n

On Good Friday, he had surprisingly decided not to take part in the Stations of the Cross service in order to preserve his health.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, he plans to preside over the Easter Mass and give the traditional \u201cUrbi et Orbi\u201d blessing for to the city and the world.<\/p>\n

Easter: Pope Francis calls for joy, hope<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pope Francis has called on the faithful to rejoice and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ in spite of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12889,15,9731],"tags":[12890,7010,180,9734],"class_list":["post-24743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-easter","category-news","category-pope-francis","tag-easter","tag-francis","tag-news","tag-pope"],"yoast_head":"\n