Pope Francis called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in his traditional Easter message delivered following renewed concerns over the health of the 87-year-old pontiff.
In the message, delivered in front of tens of thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Francis addressed the conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, condemning war as an “absurdity.”
The Pope has been forced to skip recent events or limit his speaking due to poor health, but on Easter Sunday – the most important day in the Christian calendar – he delivered the “Urbi et Orbi” in full and appeared in good spirits, smiling and waving to the crowd.