The VATICAN: The traditional mass of Easter under high security

The faithful ones, the tourists curious and even about the priests celebrating had to make long lines to reach the St. Peter‘s Square Sunday morning, passing from first filters of security to a hundred meters with detectors of metals and controls of bags, whereas a broad perimeter was closed Sunday morning to traffic.

The access to the place itself is done after the passage under a gantry of detection, following the example of the airports. The Italian authorities estimate that Easter is one high–risk period for the Italian capital.

“Rome is the center of the Catholic religion, there is the pope, the Vatican. For those which believe in the radical mode of the holy war, Rome represents so many things put together”, summarized Saturday the prosecutor anti–terrorism Federico Capiero de Raho, very anxious as for a discrete return in the Italian country radicalized parties to fight in Syria and Iraq.

The St. Peter‘s Square was decorated in this Easter Sunday with 50 ‘ 000 flowers, with a prevalence of tulips and jonquils, but also of the pinks and orchises, offered by the Netherlands, a tradition which prevails for the 32ème consecutive year.

Being expressed since the loggia of the St. Peter‘s Basilica, he asked “the fruits of peace for the whole world, starting with the beloved and tormented Syria, whose population is exhausted by a war which does not see end”.

The pope François claimed Sunday the end of “the extermination in progress” in Syria and “the reconciliation as a Terre Sainte”, while encouraging the dialogue in progress on the Korean peninsula, at the time of his message of Easter before the traditional blessing Urbi et Orbi.

It called “all the political officials and soldiers” so that “an end is put immediately to the extermination in progress, that is respected the humanitarian right and that (that is to say facilitated) the access to the assistances for which these brothers and sisters have an urgent need, ensuring at the same time of the suitable conditions for the return of all those which were dispersed”, the pope declared.

The pope François called also “with the reconciliation as a Terre Sainte, still wounded these days by open conflicts which do not save the people without defense”. Confrontations between Palestinian demonstrators of Gaza and Israeli soldiers made Friday the 16th died, the most fatal assessment since the war of 2014.

He encouraged Sunday “the dialogue” in progress in the Korean peninsula, in full period of relaxation after two years of climbing due to the nuclear tests and ballistics of Pyongyang.

“Direct responsibilities act with wisdom and understanding to promote the good of the Korean people and to build trust relationships within the international community”, he added the pope.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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