'Choose peace', Pope marks first Easter under cloud of Mideast war

Pope Leo XIV presides over the Easter Mass as part of the Holy Week celebrations, at St Peter's square in the Vatican on April 5, 2026. [AFP]

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to "choose peace" in his first Easter blessing as pontiff with the Middle East conflict raging.

Catholics around the world marked the holiday under the shadow of a war that began with US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 and has drawn in the whole region, convulsing the global economy.

"We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people," the pope told a crowd in St Peter's Square.

The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, who was elected in May 2025, also called for a prayer vigil at the Vatican on April 11.

He paid tribute to his predecessor pope Francis who last appeared in public on Easter Sunday last year -- a few hours before his death.

Leo has repeatedly called for peace in the Middle East and this week directly urged US President Donald Trump to find an "off-ramp".

On Sunday he spoke of "a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil".

In Jerusalem, there was silence in the alleyways of the Old City, left deserted by Israel's conflict in Gaza and now the Middle East war.

Israeli authorities have severely restricted access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the faithful commemorate Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, because of security considerations.

On routes approaching the church, police checkpoints screened a small number of worshippers allowed near the site.

All shops in the area were closed, heightening the sense of emptiness.

"It's very hard for all of us because it's our holiday... It's really hard to want to pray but to come here and find nothing. Everything is closed," said Christina Toderas, 44, from Romania.

Otmar Wassermann, 65, had also attempted to enter the Holy Sepulchre but failed.

"I must say I was somewhat frustrated," he told AFP, recalling how the feast is generally celebrated every year.

'Situation is tragic'

"The doors are still closed," the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said in his Easter Vigil homily at the Holy Sepulchre.

Pizzaballa was prevented by Israeli police from holding mass in the church last Sunday, an incident that sparked international indignation.

"The silence is almost absolute, broken perhaps by the distant sound of what war continues to sow in this holy and torn land," he said, according to a text of his sermon issued by his office.

In Lebanon, majority Christian areas in the south of the country are caught in the crossfire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

In Debel, close to the Israeli border, inhabitants marked Easter Sunday against the sound of bombardment around their village, now almost totally cut off from the world and dependent on aid deliveries.

"The situation is tragic," town notable Joseph Attieh told AFP by phone.

"People are terrified, and the sound of shelling and gunfire has not stopped for a moment since last night. We haven't been able to sleep.

"We are putting our trust in God," Attieh said, since "this is the only glimmer of hope we will not give up on".

The war has also impacted the lives of Christian minorities in other parts of the Middle East.

In Dubai, masses have been cancelled until further notice as a security precaution. In Damascus, Catholic authorities said Easter celebrations would be restricted to mass following an attack on a Christian town in central Syria.