Pope Francis holds a Paschal candle as he presides over a Easter vigil ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, April 16, 2022. – Pope Francis on Saturday invoked “gestures of peace in these days marked by the horror of war” in an Easter vigil homily in St. Peter’s Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol and three Ukrainian lawmakers.
Francis did not refer directly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but he has called for an Easter truce in order to reach a negotiated peace. That call appeared in vain Saturday, aswestern Ukraine and beyond in a stark reminder that the whole country remains under threat. Fedorov was abducted and held for five days by Russian troops after they occupied Melitopol, a strategic southern city. Fedorov and the lawmakers have been visiting European capitals asking for more aid for their war-torn country and met earlier Saturday with the Vatican's No. 2, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
“For with Jesus, the Risen Lord, no night will last forever; and even in the darkest night, the morning star continues to shine,’’ the pope said in his homily.Francis, who has been suffering from an inflamed ligament, did not participate in a candle-lit procession up the aisle of the darkened basilica at the start of the Mass. He instead sat in front of the altar on a wooden upholstered chair in white robes. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said the Mass instead.
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