Pope Francis led the vigil in St. Peter's Basilica where he condemned the "icy winds of war" and other injustices.
Due to unusually cold temperatures in Rome, Francis, 86, did not lead the Way of the Cross procession on Good Friday. His doctors have ordered him to be careful after he was hospitalized with bronchitis last week.
Pope Francis performed well during the Easter Vigil, during which he baptized eight adult converts to Catholicism.
After starting the service in the back of the church with the traditional lighting of the large Easter candle, he went out on a cart to the front to lead the mass. Easter is the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar because it marks the day when, according to the Bible, Jesus rose from the dead.
In his homily, delivered to around 8.000 people in Christendom's largest church, Francis spoke of the bitterness, horror and disillusionment felt by many today.
"We can feel helpless and disheartened before the power of evil, the conflicts that tear apart relationships, the calculation and indifference that seems to prevail in society, the wound of corruption, the spread of injustice, the icy winds of war," he said.
Francis has called for an end to all wars, and since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he has repeatedly referred to Ukraine and its people as "martyrs."
Reading his homily in a strong and confident voice, Francis said that even when people feel that the source of hope has dried up, it is important not to remain frozen in a sense of defeat, but to seek an "inner resurrection" with God's help.
