In his Easter Sunday message, Pope Francis decried the “blind and brutal” violence of terrorism following a recent attack in Brussels that killed 31 people and injured hundreds more.
Speaking to a crowd of tens of thousands from a balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the pope condemned terrorist acts not just in Europe, but also in the Middle East and Africa in his traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing.
He spoke just before reports emerged Sunday of a reported suicide bombing in Lahore, Paskistan, that appeared to target Christians celebrating Easter.
The pope said he hoped that “message of life for all humanity” would “draw us closer to the victims of terrorism, a blind and brutal form of violence” on a holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The terrorism the Pope spoke of has threatened the Vatican itself.
While tens of thousands of people packed into St. Peter’s Square to hear the pope speak, a large security presence was reported at the event. The Islamic State has made repeated threats against Catholics and the Vatican in Rome.
The leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics asked countries closing their borders to refugees attempting to escape the carnage in the Middle East to reconsider on a day dedicated to rebirth.
The pope said the Easter holiday “invites us not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, an ever more numerous throng of migrants and refugees, including many children, fleeing war, hunger, poverty and social injustice.”
“All too often, these brothers and sisters of ours meet along the way with death or, in any event, rejection by those who could offer them welcome and assistance,” Francis said.
