OREANDA-NEWS  Pope Francis called the Resurrection of Christ a hope for reconciliation and reassurance for those affected by the pandemic. The pontiff said this on Sunday in the traditional Easter address "To the City and the World", which was delivered for the second year in a row not from the balcony of St. Peter's Cathedral, but from the cathedral of the same name.

Due to the current restrictive measures, the presence of believers in the square was impossible, about 200 people participated in the Easter service. The papal address was broadcast live on television, as well as on numerous Internet platforms in streaming. "The pandemic is in full force, the economic and social crisis is hitting especially the poorest, and despite this, military conflicts do not stop, and military arsenals are only growing," the pontiff said.

"Too much violence persists in the world! .. Let those who have become prisoners of these conflicts, especially in eastern Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, return safe and sound to their families. Encourage all the governments of the world to stop the new arms race," the pontiff urged. He mentioned other conflict zones in the Middle East, Yemen, Libya, "where the end of years of hostility is finally visible," and also Myanmar, "where they are fighting for democracy."

"We all need real relationships with other people, not virtual ones, especially at the age when the personality is being formed," Francis also noted.