Pope Leo XIV greets people at the end of the Easter vigil as part of the Holy Week celebrations, at St Peter's basilica in the Vatican, April 4, 2026. ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP
Pope Leo XIV, carrying a tall, lit candle through a darkened and silent St. Peter's Basilica, ushered in Christianity's most joyous celebration with his first Easter vigil service as pontiff the evening of Saturday, April 4, urging that Easter bring harmony and peace to a world torn by wars.
Easter for Christians commemorates Christ's triumph over death with his resurrection following his crucifixion. Lighting the candle before he entered the basilica, the pope intoned: "The light of Christ who rises in glory."
Candle bearers stopped to light candles of the congregants as they walked down the central aisle, spreading flickers of light through the dark basilica before the lights went up as the pope arrived at the baroque main altar, followed by cardinals dressed in white.
In his homily, Leo called sin "a heavy barrier that closes us off and separates us from God, seeking to kill his words of hope within us," and likened it to the stone that had covered Jesus' tomb – but which was found overturned, revealing Jesus' resurrection. Leo said that there are stones representing sins to be overturned today, some "so heavy and so closely guarded that they seem to be immovable."
