Benedict leads first Easter Mass as pope

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Benedict leads first Easter Mass as pope

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Benedict XVI has celebrated his first Easter Mass as pope and urged governments to find peaceful resolutions to their crises, placing special emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the need to end terrorism.

He spoke of the hardships in Africa, especially the Darfur region of Sudan; the problems of Latin America; and the standoffs over the use of nuclear power. He devoted only a sentence to the fighting in Iraq.

Tens of thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square on Sunday to participate in the Roman Catholic rituals of the Mass, turning to greet each other when the pontiff prayed, \"Let us offer each other a sign of peace.\"

The religious celebration was broadcast to 65 nations. (Watch as pope celebrates Easter in St. Peter's Basilica)

Easter is the most joyous day on the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar, as the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion on Good Friday.

After Mass, Benedict, also celebrating his 79th birthday, marked long-standing tradition by standing on the second-floor balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to deliver the \"Urbi et Orbi\" speech -- Latin for \"to the city and to the world\" -- and give a blessing and greetings in over a dozen languages -- starting with Italian.

As he mentioned his list of concerns, many in the crowd waved country flags. One woman clapped.

Benedict's first comments were directed at Africa.

\"May the spirit of the Risen One, in particular, bring relief and security in Africa to the peoples of Darfur (Sudan) who are living in a dramatic humanitarian situation that is no longer sustainable,\" he said, reading from a written statement.

Benedict then asked the rest of the continent to aspire to progress, justice and reconciliation.

\"In Iraq, may peace finally prevail over the tragic violence that continues mercilessly to claim victims,\" he said.

\"I also pray sincerely that those caught up in the conflict in the Holy Land may find peace. And I invite all to patient and persevering dialogue in the Holy Land so as to remove both ancient and new obstacles, avoiding the temptations to revenge. And may they educate the new generations to mutual respect.\"

\"May the international community, which reaffirms Israel's just right to exist in peace assist the Palestinian people to overcome the precarious conditions in which they live, and to build their future, moving toward the constitution of a state that is truly their own.\"

The pope also prayed that the spirit of Latin America be renewed so that the living conditions of millions of citizens may be improved, \"the scourge of kidnappings eradicated, and democratic institutions be consolidated ... in a spirit of harmony and solidarity.\"

\"May an honorable solution be found for all parties through serious and honest negotiations, and may the leaders of nations and international organizations be strengthened in their will to achieve peaceful coexistence among different races, cultures and religions, in order to remove the threat of terrorism.\"

Benedict delivered his message on the same balcony where he stood a year ago to acknowledge the crowds after he was chosen pope. His predecessor, John Paul II, died six days after Easter last year.

Afterwards, as is the custom, the pontiff delivered Easter greetings in 62 languages including Hebrew and Arabic.

Benedict XVI ushered in Easter services on Saturday with a dramatic, candlelit vigil in St. Peter's during which he said Christ's resurrection was \"the most crucial leap\" in the history of mankind.

The bells of St. Peter's tolled across Rome shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday to herald in Easter.

During his homily, Benedict said some people wrongly believe that the miracle of Jesus' resurrection was irrelevant because it does not concern ordinary men.

\"But the point is that Christ's resurrection is something more, something different,\" Benedict said, according to The Associated Press.

\"If we may borrow the language of the theory of evolution, it is the greatest 'mutation,' absolutely the most crucial leap into a totally new dimension that there has ever been in the long history of life and its development: a leap into a completely new order which does concern us, and concerns the whole of history.\"

During the service, which ended at 1 a.m., Benedict baptized seven people -- a rite he said was more than a simple washing or purification of the soul.

\"It is truly death and resurrection, rebirth, transformation to a new life,\" he said.

Benedict led a Good Friday Way of the Cross evening procession at Rome's Colosseum in which he denounced \"threats\" to the institution of the family and lamented the divide between the world's rich and poor.

After the busy Holy Week ceremonies end, Benedict plans to take a few days rest at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the hills south of Rome.