Pope Francis calls for peace in Easter message

Pope Francis has called for peace in a world marked by war and conflict, "beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria" and extending to the entire Middle East, the Korean peninsula and parts of Africa affected by "hunger, endemic conflicts and terrorism".

Francis reflected on the power of Christianity's core belief - that Jesus rose from the dead following crucifixion - in his formal "Urbi et Orbi" Easter message delivered from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to a packed square below.