Papal message of hope, peace

VATICAN CITY - In an Easter peace wish, Pope Francis on Sunday praised the framework nuclear agreement with Iran as an opportunity to make the world safer, while expressing deep worry about bloodshed in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and elsewhere in Africa.

Cautious hope ran through Francis' Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) Easter message, a kind of papal commentary on the state of the world's affairs, which he delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter's Square.

He had just celebrated Mass in rain-whipped St. Peter's Square for tens of thousands of people, who huddled under umbrellas or braved the downpour in thin, plastic rain-slickers.

Easter day is "so beautiful, and so ugly because of the rain," Francis said after Mass about Christianity's most important feast day. He expressed thanks for the flowers that bedecked the square and were donated by the Netherlands, but the bright hues of the azaleas and other blossoms seemed muted by the gray skies.

Francis made his first public comments about the recent framework for an accord, reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, and aimed at ensuring Iran doesn't develop a nuclear weapon. "In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world."

Decrying the plentitude of weapons in the world in general, Francis said: "And we ask for peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who earn their living with the blood of men and women."

He denounced "absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence" in Libya, convulsed by fighting fueled by tribal and militia rivalries. He expressed hope that "a common desire for peace" would prevail in Yemen, wracked by civil warfare.

Francis prayed that the "roar of arms may cease" in Syria and Iraq, and that peace would come for Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, and Congo.

He recalled the young people, many of them targeted because they were Christians, killed last week in a Kenyan university, and lamented kidnappings, by Islamic extremists, that have plagued parts of Africa.

He also cited bloodshed in Ukraine, praying that the nation would "rediscover peace and hope thanks to the commitment of all interested parties." Government forces have been battling Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, months after a cease-fire was proclaimed.

During Mass, Francis was shielded from pelting rain by a canopy erected outside St. Peter's Basilica, while prelates carried umbrellas in the yellow and white colors of the Vatican.

Christians in the Holy Land and elsewhere in the world also celebrated. The cavernous Holy Sepulcher church in Jerusalem was packed with worshipers Sunday. The site is where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

Later in the day, a Mass was celebrated in Bethlehem's Nativity Church, built atop the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

In Kenya, worshipers celebrated at the Our Lady of Consolation Church in Garissa - the same town where Islamic militants killed 148 people in an attack on Garissa University College on Thursday. According to witnesses and survivors, the gunmen singled out Christians to be killed.

In the U.S., President Obama and his family attended Easter service at Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., whose history dates back almost 200 years to when Thomas Jefferson was in the White House.

Obama, his wife, Michelle, and daughters Sasha and Malia were welcomed by the pastor, the Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, who noted that like the first lady, he is a native of Chicago's South Side.

"This is not selfie time," Wesley said jokingly. "Let the brother worship in the house of God."

Churchgoers traditionally walk around to shake hands and give hugs during the greetings and announcements portion of service, but the pastor encouraged the crowd to stay seated and greet only their closest neighbors, as the sanctuary was tightly secured with Secret Service agents.

Orthodox Christians, meanwhile, who follow a different calendar, were marking Palm Sunday with processions.