VATICAN CITY, APR 15, 2001 (VIS) - At 10:30 this morning, in a St. Peter's Square bedecked in flowers and filled with 100,000 pilgrims from throughout the world, John Paul II celebrated the first Easter Mass of the Third Millennium, which this year coincides with the Orthodox Easter.
At the beginning of the celebration of the Eucharist, a deacon, standing before the icon of the Most Holy Savior, called the "Archeropita" (meaning "not painted by human hands"), announced the Resurrection of the Lord. The icon, kept in Rome in the Chapel of the Oratory of St. Lawrence, the Sancta Sanctorum of the Shrine of the Holy Stairs, was brought to St. Peter's Square today.
The Holy Father expressed his hope that the Resurrection of the Lord can be celebrated in respect for different cultures "not only in a day of shared celebration, but in the fullness of communion among all Churches."
"May the Easter proclamation," said the Holy Father in his "Urbi et Orbi" Message, "reach all the peoples of the earth and may all people of good will feel themselves called to an active role in this day which the Lord has made, the day of His Resurrection, when the Church, filled with joy, proclaims that the Lord is truly risen."
"As the new millennium begins its course, we wish to hand on to the younger generation the certitude that is basic to our lives: Christ is risen and in Him all creation rises to new life."
"Men and women of the Third Millennium, the Easter gift of light that scatters the darkness of fear and sadness is for everyone; everyone is offered the gift of the peace of the Risen Christ, who breaks the chains of violence and hatred.
"Rediscover today with joy and wonder that the world is no longer a slave to the inevitable. This world of ours can change: peace is possible even where for too long there has been fighting and death, as in the Holy Land and Jerusalem; it is possible in the Balkans, no longer condemned to a worrying uncertainty that risks causing the failure of all proposals for agreement.
"And you, Africa, a continent tormented by conflicts constantly threatening, raise your head confidently, trusting in the power of the Risen Christ. With His help, you too, Asia, the cradle of age-old spiritual traditions, can win the challenge of tolerance and solidarity; and you, Latin America, filled with youthful promise, only in Christ will you find the capacity and courage needed for a development respectful of every human being.
"Men and women of every continent, draw from His tomb, empty now forever, the strength needed to defeat the powers of evil and death, and to place all research and all technical and social progress at the service of a better future for all."
After the "Urbi et Orbi" Blessing, John Paul II wished Happy Easter in 61 languages to all those who participated in the ceremony in St. Peter's Square and to those listening via radio and television.
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