In a poignant final appearance, Pope Francis used his last public address on Easter Sunday to deliver a powerful call for peace. Just a day before his passing at age 88, the Pontiff urged the world to uphold freedom of thought and religion, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Despite his frailty and visible health challenges, Pope Francis made a rare appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, addressing over 35,000 gathered faithful. Although seated in a wheelchair and unable to speak for long, he began his message with a warm “Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” before an aide continued reading his “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on his behalf.
In the message, the Pope condemned the growing wave of anti-Semitism and called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “dramatic and deplorable.” His speech emphasized that lasting peace is only possible when fundamental freedoms—of religion, thought, and expression—are respected.
Dressed in white and without the oxygen cannula he had recently been using, his determination to appear in public resonated deeply with the crowd, who chanted “Viva il Papa” in an emotional farewell.
The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis’s death on Monday in a video statement, marking the end of a 12-year papacy characterized by calls for tolerance, peace, and human dignity. His final message now echoes across a world still in need of the very compassion he so often preached.