• 'Peace to the whole world': Pope Francis urges unity in first Easter Sunday address

    In his first Easter Sunday since his election, Pope Francis led an open-air Mass in front of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, offering a message of peace. He called for an end to violence across the world and an easing of tensions in the Korean peninsula. NBC's Claudio Lavanga reports.

    By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

    Pope Francis called for worldwide efforts towards peace in his first Easter Sunday address, urging leaders to find diplomatic solutions in Syria and North Korea.

    In his first "Urbi et Orbi" message from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he also asked for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians solutions to conflicts in several African countries.

    Earlier this month, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina stood on the same balcony after being elected as the first pope from the Americas in more than 1,300 years.

    Francis, who has emphasized a humbler style to the papacy, said: "Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! May the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.”

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    Pope Francis greets the faithful prior to his first 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Sunday.

    He added: “Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort.  How much blood has been shed!  And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?”

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    Cardinals from around the world gathered in the Vatican to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

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    Earlier, the pontiff strode onto a flower-bedecked esplanade facing St Peter’s Square, into which tens of thousands of faithful had gathered from early Sunday, to lead the traditional open-air Mass.

    Francis bowed his head in reflection as the Gospel was sung in Latin, The Associated Press reported, recounting what Christians believe is the central mystery of their faith — the resurrection of Jesus after this death by crucifixion.

    "Let the risen Jesus enter your life,” the pope told worshippers before the service via his Twitter account. "He will receive you with open arms."

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Related: The evolution of the Popemobile

    This story was originally published on Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:08 AM EDT

  • Crowds pray with Pope Francis at start of holy week

    Pope Francis celebrated Palm Sunday and encouraged the faithful to be humble and joyful, NBC's Lester Holt reports.

    By F. Brinley Bruton and Claudio Lavanga, NBC News

    Pope Francis on Sunday led his first major service since his election, calling on crowd to shun corruption and reach out to "the humble, the poor, the forgotten."

    "Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation," he said.

    The new pope invoked the wisdom of his grandmother and used simple language at the Palm Sunday service, which marks the start of the holy week of Easter in celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

    Pope Francis departed from his prepared text and when he referred to wealth said: "You can't take it with you, my grandmother used to say." 

    Some 250,000 people waving palm and olive branches gathered in St. Peter's Square to be part of the Catholic Church's most important liturgical season. Sprigs of olive trees were distributed to the faithful in remembrance of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem before his crucifixion.

    After blessing palm and olive branches — symbols of peace —  the pontiff walked to the altar on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica to conduct the outdoor Mass.

    He again urged defense of the environment, speaking of "our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbor and towards the whole of creation." 

    Alessandra Tarantino / AP

    Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sunday.

    'I like him a lot'
    The new pontiff arrived to the ceremonies in an uncovered car. Wearing bright red robes over a white cassock, Francis then walked along St. Peter's holding a palm frond and presided over the Mass from an altar sheltered by a canopy on the steps of St. Peter's. 

    His message and style seemed to resonate with many in the crowd.  

    Italian Angelica Recchiuto, 23, said the new pope was a breath of fresh air.

    "I don't care he is not Italian, I like him a lot," she said.  "And frankly, (Francis' predecessor) Benedict XVI acted like a real foreigner. Francis doesn't."

    After Sunday's Mass, the Pope Francis will lead six more liturgies during the week, culminating with the Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi blessing

    On Saturday, Pope Francis and Benedict prayed together before having lunch in a historic meeting.

    The new pontiff had flown to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo in the Alban Hills outside of Rome by helicopter. Pope Benedict XVI has been living there since he resigned Feb. 28, becoming the first pope to step down in 600 years. Both men wore white papal outfits.

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Related:

    Pope Francis spoke of being 'dazzled' by girl, possible change of celibacy rule

    Pope stuns newsstand owner by calling to cancel home delivery

    Pope's personal touch with crowds a 'nightmare' for security, expert says

    This story was originally published on Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:04 AM EDT

  • Celebrating Easter with a splash! Slovakians douse women with water

    Samuel Kubani / AFP - Getty Images

    Young Slovaks dressed in traditional costumes throw a bucket of water at a girl as part of Easter celebrations in the village of Trencianska Tepla, 145 km north of Bratislava on April 9. Slovakia's men splash women with water and hit them with a willow to symbolize youth, strength and beauty for the upcoming spring season.

    Radovan Stoklasa / Reuters

    A Slovak youth dressed in traditional costume throws a bucket of water at a girl as part of Easter celebrations in the village of Trencianska Tepla, 145 km (90 miles) north of Bratislava April 9. Girls are doused with water and whipped in a custom believed to ensure a woman's fertility and beauty.

    Radovan Stoklasa / Reuters

    Slovak youths dressed in traditional costumes throw a girl into a creek as part of Easter celebrations in the village of Trencianska Tepla, 145 km (90 miles) north of Bratislava April 9. Girls are doused with water and whipped in a custom believed to ensure a woman's fertility and beauty.

    Radovan Stoklasa / Reuters

    A Slovak youth dressed in traditional costume throws a bucket of water at a woman on a bicycle as part of Easter celebrations in the village of Trencianska Tepla, 145 km (90 miles) north of Bratislava April 9. Girls are doused with water and whipped in a custom believed to ensure a woman's fertility and beauty.

     

  • Christians mark Easter Sunday at ancient holy site; Pope calls for peace in Syria

    Ammar Awad / Reuters

    The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal leads Easter Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday.

    By msnbc.com news services

    JERUSALEM -- Thousands of Christians gathered in Jerusalem for Easter Sunday to commemorate Jesus Christ's resurrection, crowding into one of Christianity's holiest churches, worshipping, singing and praying.

    Catholics and Protestants took in turns to hold ceremonies within the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the site where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried.

    Inside, clergymen in flowing white and gold robes celebrated Mass, the air thick with incense plumes. Believers swarmed through the winding church — a series of cave-like spaces decked with ornate decorations and stairways leading to galleries and descending into dark, cavernous rooms, joined by a soaring dome roof. Different and often feuding Christian sects control parts of the Sepulcher, heavy with incense, filled with scurrying monks and awed crowds.

    Italian Premier Mario Monti, in the church on a private visit, joined the masses of Christian faithful. He shook hands with pilgrims and spoke to monks in the Old City.

    Thousands of Palestinian Catholics smashed boiled egg shells against each other, representing Jesus' emerging from his tomb. They ate circular bread symbolizing his crown of thorns. They greeted each other with the Arabic felicitation, "Christ has arisen," prompting the response: "Verily he has arisen."

    Lee Jin-Man / AP

    A Christian devotee re-enacts Jesus' path to his crucifixion during a performance in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday.

    "Jesus promised us salvation and hopefully, we will be worthy of it, because he is truthful of his promise to us," said local priest Marwan Deidis.

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    There are about 110,000 Arab Christians in the Holy land, along with thousands of Christian foreign workers, asylum seekers, and Russian-speaking immigrants. Tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims from outside the region also flock to Jerusalem and the Holy Land for Easter rites.

    Outside the ancient city's walls, several hundred Protestants gathered in the Garden Tomb, where they believe Jesus was buried. They sat in a sunny, leafy green garden listening to a sermon and sung gospel music.

    NY cardinal's stance on gay rights sparks resignation

    Meanwhile, thousands of other Christians belonging to Eastern Orthodox churches, who celebrate Easter using a different calendar from their Catholic and Protestant brethren, marked Palm Sunday.

    Several dozen Ethiopian Christians who also use the older calendar gathered in a niche of the Sepulcher church, wearing long white robes, decked in white, blue and black rimless hats. They sang in their ancient language, marking off beats with a silver instrument that made a rattling sound.

    K.M. Chaudary / AP

    Worshippers hold candles during an Easter Mass in a church in Lahore, Pakistan, on Saturday.

    In the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, dozens of Greek Orthodox Palestinian Christians celebrated Palm Sunday. They gathered into their tiny stone-built church, painted sky-blue and decorated with icons of Jesus, his mother Mary and other saints. Four young men garbed in white and gold robes sung from prayer books, believers lit candles and chanted in Arabic, recording the journey made to Jerusalem, where his followers decked his path with palms and olive branches.

    "Jesus went to Jerusalem to call people to peace," said Jaber Abdullah Jindi, a Gazan Christian. "And just as he did, we hope that there will be peace in all the region, especially in Palestine."

    Matko Biljak / Reuters

    Fishermen dressed as Roman soldiers collapse as they re-enact a scene from the Bible as part of the Easter tradition at a church in Sumartin, Croatia, on Saturday.

    In Rome, meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in sun-drenched, flower-adorned St. Peter's Square, before tens of thousands of people.

    Benedict looked tired at the start of the Mass at an altar set up on the steps outside St. Peter's Basilica.

    He urged the Syrian regime to heed international calls to end bloodshed and commit to dialogue and prayed for peace in coup-struck Mali. As the pope spoke, Syrian troops pounded opposition areas, activists said, killing 74 civilians in an offensive that has sent thousands of refugees surging into Turkey before next week's U.N.-backed ceasefire.

    Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images

    Pope Benedict XVI leads the Easter Holy Mass at St Peter's Square on Sunday.

    The pontiff also denounced terrorist attacks in Nigeria that have hit Christians and Muslims alike. Citing emergency officials and witnesses, Reuters reported that a roadside car bomb in Nigeria's northern town of Kaduna killed several people on Easter Sunday. The blast occurred after security officers stopped the driver from approaching a church.

    The pope struggled with hoarseness throughout the Mass before a crowd of more than 100,000 faithful. Only hours earlier he had led a three-hour nighttime Easter vigil inside St. Peter's Basilica.

    At the end of his Easter message, Benedict wished the world a Happy Easter in 65 languages, including Arabic, Hebrew and other languages spoken in the areas in mentioned in his peace appeals.

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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  • Pope at Easter vigil: Technology without God is dangerous

    Pier Paolo Cito / AP

    Pope Benedict XVI enters St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday to begin the Vatican's Easter vigil service.

    By msnbc.com news services

    Updated at 5:37 p.m. ET: VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict, leading the world's Catholics into Easter, said on Saturday that technological progress, in the absence of awareness of God and moral values, is a threat to the world.

    Benedict presided at a solemn Easter vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica to usher the 1.2 billion-member church into the most important day of its liturgical calendar.

    The basilica, the largest church in Christendom, was in the dark for the start of the service to signify the darkness in Jesus' tomb before what Christians believe was his resurrection from the dead three days after his crucifixion.

    The some 10,000 faithful in the basilica lit candles as the pope moved up the central aisle on a wheeled platform he uses to conserve his strength and then the basilica's lights were turned on when he reached the main altar.

    Wearing gold and white vestments at the Mass, his last Holy Week service before Easter Sunday, Benedict wove his sermon around the theme of darkness and light.

    "The darkness that poses a real threat to mankind, after all, is the fact that he can see and investigate tangible material things, but cannot see where the world is going or whence it comes, where our own life is going, what is good and what is evil," he said.

    "The darkness enshrouding God and obscuring values is the real threat to our existence and to the world in general," he said.

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    Benedict, repeating one of the central themes of his pontificate, said man was too often in awe of technology instead of being in awe of God.

    "If God and moral values, the difference between good and evil, remain in darkness, then all other 'lights', that put such incredible technical feats within our reach, are not only progress but also dangers that put us and the world at risk," he said.

    "With regard to material things, our knowledge and our technical accomplishments are legion, but what reaches beyond, the things of God and the question of good, we can no longer identify," he said.

    The pope, who returned from a grueling trip to Mexico and Cuba last week, looked fatigued at the long service, during which be baptized eight adults from Italy, the United States, Slovakia, Turkmenistan, Albania, Germany and Cameroon. He turns 85 on April 16.

    On Sunday the pope will preside at an Easter day Mass and then deliver his twice-yearly "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing and message from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica.

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.

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  • Christians celebrate the holiest week of the year

    Daniel Ochoa De Olza / AP

    Penitents from 'Jesus Yacente' brotherhood take part in a procession in Zamora, Spain, in the early hours of Friday, April 6. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week.

    Jim Gold, msnbc.com reports:  Religious observances intersect this year for two major faiths. As Christians around the world continue their Holy Week with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jews will begin Passover on Friday at sunset. The confluence comes as the Jewish lunar-based calendar makes the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan fall on Good Friday.

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  • Christian, Jewish holidays intersect Friday

    Romeo Ranoco / Reuters

    J.R. Galvez, 30, portraying Jesus Christ, is crucified on a cross as part of a voluntary ritual to mark the death of Christ ahead of Good Friday in Mandaluyong city, metro Manila on Thursday.

    By Jim Gold, NBC News

    Updated 6:50 p.m. ET Friday: Religious observances intersect this year for two major faiths. As Christians around the world continue their Holy Week with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jews will begin Passover on Friday at sunset. The confluence comes as the Jewish lunar-based calendar makes the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan fall on Good Friday.

    On Maundy Thursday, foot-washing was a part of many ceremonies, as Jesus washed the feet of disciples at the Last Supper the night before he was crucified.

    In London, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and Princess Beatrice attended services at York Minster as part of the Queen’s diamond Jubilee tour of the country, the Daily Mail reported.

    In Manila, a crucifixion was re-enacted ahead of Good Friday, when many penitents are expected to be nailed to crosses in displays of religious devotion.

    Good Friday marks the day Jesus was nailed to the cross. Many churches will hold services, Passion plays and dramatic readings. Many bakeries will feature hot cross buns.

    Stock markets will be closed.

    Abir Sultan / EPA

    Ultra-orthodox Jewish bakers prepare shmura matzo, unleavened bread, Thursday in preparation for the Jewish holiday of Passover. The scene was a bakery at the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem.

    In New York, thousands are expected for morning Good Friday processions, including one over the Brooklyn Bridge to Ground Zero in Manhattan.

    PhotoBlog: In the heart of the Holy Land, visiting Jesus' burial site

    On Friday evening, Passover starts with a seder, a festive meal in which food and rituals symbolically help in retelling the Jews’ exodus from Egypt and freedom from bondage. A key symbol at the seder and throughout the eight-day holiday is matzo, unleavened bread representing the haste in which Jews fled: They couldn’t even wait for bread dough to rise.

    “Passover is really a story of salvation, although many now consider it a story of freedom,’’ Rabbi Mitch Chefitz, scholar-in-residence at Miami’s Temple Israel, told the Miami Herald.

    President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle plan to join a small seder at the White House, a tradition inspired from a 2008 pause along the primary campaign trail in Pennsylvania. Then-candidate Obama joined Jewish staffers holding a seder, which concludes with the line: “Next year in Jerusalem.” Obama pledged, “Next year in the White House.”

    PhotoBlog: Christians celebrate the holiest week of the year

    On Thursday, Obama issued a Passover message noting “the story of that first Exodus has also inspired those who are not Jewish” with common hopes and a common sense of obligation to “repairing the world” and “making our union more perfect.”

    Holy Saturday, the last day of Lent, marks the last day Jesus lay in his tomb.

    On Easter Sunday, marking Jesus’ resurrection, many Christians gather for Easter sunrise services, have formal suppers and hold Easter egg hunts with dyed eggs. It is the end of Lent, the 40-day period of pentinence and fasting that began with Ash Wednesday.

    Easter “is our commemoration of passing over from the bondage of sin to a new life of freedom,” The Rev. Douglas McCaleb, dean of Miami’s Trinity Cathedral, told the Herald.

    On Friday, the the president issued a statement about Easter:

    "This Sunday, Michelle and I will join Christians across the country and around the world to celebrate Easter and give thanks for the all-important gift of grace.  Easter is a time to reflect on both Christ’s suffering and ultimate triumph, as the anguish of the cross continues to give way to the victory of resurrection.  So to all those celebrating with us, we extend our warmest Easter greetings and best wishes in the days ahead.

    The White House on Monday hosts the 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll, with the theme “Let's Go, Let's Play, Let's Move.” More than 35,000 people are expected on the South Lawn for games, stories and a traditional egg roll.

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  • Palm Sunday observed around the world

    Sebastian Scheiner / AP

    Catholic priests carry palm fronds at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem's Old city, April 1. Palm Sunday marks for Christians Jesus Christ's entrance into Jerusalem when his followers laid palm branches in his path, prior to his crucifixion.

    The day's events began with a mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher — revered as the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Several hundred worshippers and clergy lit candles and waved palm fronds in the dark, cavernous church.

    "It's the holiest place in the world for Christians and it's important for me to come here at least once in my lifetime," said Etienne Chevremont, 49, a visitor from Paris who attended the Jerusalem Mass.

    -- Reported by the Associated Press

    Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters

    A woman prays on a hill with wooden crosses after a procession celebrating Palm Sunday in the town of Oshmiany, 88 miles northwest of Minsk, Belarus, April 1.

    Kacper Pempel / Reuters

    Women hold palm fronds as they take part in a Mass celebrating Catholic Palm Sunday at Saint Anna church in Warsaw, Poland, April 1.

    Vincenzo Pinto / AFP - Getty Images

    Pope Benedict XVI leaves after celebrating the Palm Sunday mass in St Peter's square at the Vatican, on April 1. Palm Sunday marks the start of the holy week of Easter in celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    Jon Nazca / Reuters

    Spanish actor and director Antonio Banderas, center, sings a song to the Virgin inside a church as he takes part as a penitent in the "Lagrimas and Favores" brotherhood in a Palm Sunday procession at the start of Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain, April 1. Hundreds of processions take place around the clock in Spain during Holy Week, drawing thousands of visitors.