Pope Leo XIV delivers his first Easter Mass and blessing as pontiff calling for global peace

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff at the Vatican on Sunday, delivering the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing to approximately 50,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square. The first U.S.-born pope called on world leaders to lay down weapons and choose peace through dialogue rather than force, warning against growing indifference to violence and deaths from ongoing conflicts including the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Russia's campaign in Ukraine. Leo departed from tradition by not naming specific conflicts in his blessing, instead quoting his predecessor Pope Francis who died last Easter Monday.