Pope Leo marks first Easter as Catholic Church leader amid war

Easter Sunday will carry unusual weight at the Vatican this year, as Pope Leo XIV prepares to mark the holiest day in the Christian calendar for the first time as pontiff while war in the Middle East darkens the celebration.

The US-born pope, who has become one of the conflict’s most prominent critics, is due to celebrate mass in St Peter’s Square from 9.30am Irish time before thousands of worshippers.

The head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics will then deliver the traditional blessing at 11am Irish time, a moment likely to draw especially close attention this year.

The ceremony is also certain to stir memories of the late pope Francis, who made his final public appearance on Easter Sunday last year, only hours before he died.

Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in the Middle East and, this week, directly urged US President Donald Trump to seek an “off-ramp”.

Even today there are tombs to be opened, and often the stones sealing them are so heavy and so closely guarded that they seem to be immovable. Some weigh heavily on the human heart, such as mistrust, fear, selfishness and resentment; others, stemming from these inner struggles,…

— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 4, 2026

From the near-empty Old City of Jerusalem to Christian villages in Lebanon trapped in exchanges of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, the Middle East war has cast a shadow over what is usually a joyful feast.

In Jerusalem, services at the Holy Sepulchre — the site where Christians believe Christ rose from the dead — are taking place behind closed doors.

Catholic Christians observe Easter Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Israel has placed limits on large gatherings as a security measure amid the persistent threat of strikes since the US and Israel began bombing Iran on 28 February.

“It is the first time in my life that I experience a total closure” of the Holy Sepulchre, Jack Straw, a 52-year-old resident of Jerusalem’s Old City said.

“It’s sad. The Sepulchre is empty. It’s the symbol of the most important event in Christian history,” he said, adding that he hoped the closure would only be for this year.

‘Situation is tragic’

“The doors are still closed,” the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said in his Easter Vigil homily at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Israeli police stopped Cardinal Pizzaballa from celebrating mass in the church last Sunday, an episode that triggered international indignation.

“The silence is almost absolute, broken perhaps by the distant sound of what war continues to sow in this holy and torn land,” he said, according to a text of his sermon issued by his office.

In Lebanon, predominantly Christian areas in the country’s south remain caught in the crossfire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

In Debel, near the Israeli border, residents prepared to mark Easter Sunday despite bombardment echoing around their village, which is now almost entirely cut off from the outside world and reliant on aid deliveries.

“The situation is tragic,” town notable Joseph Attieh told AFP by phone.

“People are terrified, and the sound of shelling and gunfire has not stopped for a moment since last night. We haven’t been able to sleep.

“We are putting our trust in God,” Mr Attieh said, since “this is the only glimmer of hope we will not give up on.”