Rome, 5 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Pope Leo XIV urged those waging war to lay down their arms and called for global peace ahead of the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing on Sunday, the highlight of the Easter celebrations at the Vatican.

"Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!" the 70-year-old head of the Catholic Church said, according to the official translation of his remarks.

In view of the many current conflicts, Leo warned that people were becoming accustomed to violence, borrowing a phrase from his predecessor Francis, who referred to the "globalization of indifference."

"We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel."

He then delivered the blessing in 10 different languages. In English, he said to cheers from the crowd: "Happy Easter! May you bring the joy of Jesus who is risen and present in our midst to all you meet."

He announced a prayer vigil for peace in St Peter's on April 11.

Leo concluded the celebrations by riding through St Peter's Square in the popemobile, waving cheerfully to the faithful and repeatedly stopping to bless small children.

Earlier on Sunday, Leo had said his first Easter Mass as pope in St Peter's Square, with Vatican News reporting 50,000 people attending in the square itself and a further 10,000 watching from just outside.

He lamented injustice, oppression and war in his homily, which was broadcast live in many countries.

"From without, death is always lurking. We see it present in injustices, in partisan selfishness, in the oppression of the poor, in the lack of attention given to the most vulnerable," Leo said.

"We see it in violence, in the wounds of the world, in the cry of pain that rises from every corner because of the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because of the idolatry of profit that plunders the Earth’s resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys."

Leo had also referenced war in the Easter Vigil Mass he said on Saturday evening as he drew parallels with Jesus' resurrection: "Sisters and brothers, even today there are tombs to be opened, and often the stones sealing them are so heavy and so closely guarded that they seem to be immovable.

"Some weigh heavily on the human heart, such as mistrust, fear, selfishness and resentment; others, stemming from these inner struggles, sever the bonds between us through war, injustice and the isolation of peoples and nations. Let us not allow ourselves to be paralyzed by them!" he said.

Leo's predecessor, Francis, died on Easter Monday last year at the age of 88.

The first pontiff from the United States has been the head of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide since May.

According to biblical tradition, Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The 70-year-old Leo has shown himself to be more traditional than his predecessor in recent days.

In remembrance of the Last Supper, Leo washed the feet of 12 priests on Holy Thursday in the archbasilica of St John Lateran in Rome. On this occasion, Francis had gone to prison to wash inmates' feet as a sign of humility.

During the Good Friday procession in Rome, Leo himself carried a cross, unlike his predecessor.

He bestowed the Urbi et Orbi blessing at Christmas and immediately after his election last May. The phrase - which means "to the city and the world" in Latin - refers to the pope's role as both bishop of Rome and head of the global Catholic Church.