Thousands turn out for Pope's Easter Mass

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in rain-drenched St Peter’s Square and rejoiced over conversions to Christianity, a day after he baptised a prominent Muslim commentator.

A white canopy on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica protected the 80-year-old pontiff from the chilly rain, while thousands of pilgrims, tourists and Romans huddled under a sea of coloured umbrellas in the square.

The crowd was expected to grow before the noon (1100 Irish time) Urbi et Orbi (Latin for “to the city and to the world”) address, which has previously been an occasion for pontiffs to speak about world conflicts and other problems.

Just before the late morning Mass began, a thunderclap competed with a chorus of “Alleluia” and the already grey sky grew darker.

A rainstorm forced the pope to skip walking in the Way of the Cross Good Friday procession at the Colosseum.

Christians on Easter celebrate their belief in the resurrection of Jesus two days after he was crucified.

Benedict told the faithful in the square that the resurrection “broke the chains of death” and that thanks to the apostles’ preaching, “thousands and thousands of persons converted to Christianity.

“And this is a miracle which renews itself even today,” the Pope said at the start of the Easter Day Mass.

In a Easter vigil service last night, Benedict baptised seven adults, including Magdi Allam, a journalist who has received death threats for his denunciations of Islamic fanaticism.

Allam, 55, is deputy editor of Corriere della Sera newspaper and writes often on Muslim and Arab affairs. He was born a Muslim in Egypt, but was educated by Catholics and says he has never been a practising Muslim.

Allam’s criticism of Palestinian suicide bombings prompted the Italian government to provide him with a sizeable security detail in 2003, after Hamas singled him out for death, Allam told the Il Giornale newspaper in a December interview.

The Pope himself has come under verbal attack from Islamic militants.

Osama bin Laden, in a new audio message posted last week, accused Benedict of playing a role in what he called a “new Crusade” against Islam. The Vatican has described the accusation as baseless.