En av mange rapporter fra Petersplassen i dag skriver bl.a.:
Benedict celebrated Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square, packed with pilgrims and tourists and awash in the bright colors of spring flowers as he marked the church’s most joyous day of the year. …
.. Christians worldwide on Easter Sunday recall Jesus’ resurrection, a sign of eternal life, following his crucifixion. This year, Easter fell on the same day in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic church calendars.
But while «in heaven, all is peace and gladness,» Benedict said in his message, delivered after the Mass from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, «alas, it is not so on earth.» He lamented that hunger, disease, war and violence still cause suffering in the world.
He prayed for people in the Middle East, «so that the light of peace and of human dignity may overcome the darkness of division, hate and violence.» …
.. By the time the pope delivered his speech, well over 100,000 people had thronged to the area. Resplendent in gold-colored robes, Benedict led the ceremony from an altar set up on the steps of the basilica, under a red canopy to shield him from rain or sun. Skies over the Vatican alternated between clouds and peeks of sun.
The 84-year-old Benedict looked relaxed, although his voice cracked a bit as he intoned prayers during the sung parts of the Mass. His voice had sounded hoarse at times the previous evening, when the pope led a late-night Easter Vigil Mass lit by candles in the basilica. …