Pray for Ukrainian and Russian people and refugees, urges pope in Easter message

Pope Francis bestows the plenary Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to the world) blessing from the central lodge of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican at the end of the Easter Sunday Mass (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

In an Easter message highlighting hope, Pope Francis has invoked prayers for both the Ukrainian and Russian people, praised nations which welcome refugees, and called on Israelis and Palestinians wracked by the latest surge in deadly violence to forge a “climate of trust”.

Francis, along with dozens of prelates and tens of thousands of faithful, marked Christianity’s most joyful day with Mass in a flower-adorned St Peter’s Square.