VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As the lights of St. Peter’s Basilica were extinguished and silence settled through the sprawling interior, a single flame — the paschal candle — pierced through the gloom, representing the light of the risen Christ which “quietly shines forth, even though we are in darkness,” Pope Francis said.
Before the wounds of selfishness and violence present throughout the world, “the promise of new life and a world finally set free awaits us; and a new beginning, however impossible it might seem, can take us by surprise, for Christ has triumphed over death,” he wrote in his prepared homily for the Easter Vigil at the Vatican April 19.
The pope, still recovering from respiratory infections, did not attend the Mass but he made an appearance in the basilica earlier in the day to pray, and upon exiting, he greeted a group of pilgrims from Pittsburgh present there. His homily at the Easter Vigil was read by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.
The vigil began in the atrium of the basilica with the blessing of the fire and lighting of the paschal candle. A deacon carried the candle into the darkened church, chanting “lumen Christi” (“the light of Christ”) three times, to which the congregation responded, “Deo gratias” (“thanks be to God”). As the flame was shared among the faithful, candles throughout the basilica were lit and the lights gradually rose.
After the clergy — 34 cardinals, 24 bishops and 260 concelebrating priests — processed to the altar, the Exsultet, the solemn Easter proclamation, was sung by Deacon Nicholas Monnin, a seminarian from the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
In the Exsultet, the deacon invited all of creation to rejoice in the light of Christ, a theme echoed in the pope’s homily.
“The light of the Resurrection illumines our path one step at a time; quietly, it breaks through the darkness of history and shines in our hearts, calling for the response of a humble faith, devoid of all triumphalism,” Pope Francis wrote.
The pope acknowledged that the Resurrection does not erase the suffering of the world but enters into it. “We cannot celebrate Easter without continuing to deal with the nights that dwell in our hearts and the shadows of death that so often loom over our world,” he said in his written message.
“Christ indeed conquered sin and destroyed death,” he wrote. “Yet in our earthly history the power of his Resurrection is still being brought to fulfilment. And that fulfilment, like a small seed of light, has been entrusted to us, to protect it and to make it grow.”
During the Mass, Cardinal Re baptized three catechumens: two Italians and one Albanian. He also confirmed them and gave them their first Communion.
In his homily, the pope emphasized that the Resurrection is not a private consolation but a call to witness for all Christians.
Through small, everyday actions and decisions inspired by the Gospel “our whole life can be a presence of hope,” he wrote. “We want to be that presence for those who lack faith in the Lord, for those who have lost their way, for those who have given up or are weighed down by life; for those who are alone or overwhelmed by their sufferings; for all the poor and oppressed in our world; for the many women who are humiliated and killed; for the unborn and for children who are mistreated; and for the victims of war.”
“In the risen Jesus,” the pope added, “we have the certainty that our personal history and that of our human family, albeit still immersed in a dark night where lights seem distant and dim, are nonetheless in God’s hands.”
The Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis said, is a time for renewed faith and action for Christians. “We should feel strongly within us the summons to let the hope of Easter blossom in our lives and in the world!”
“Let us make room for the light of the risen Lord,” he wrote, “and we will become builders of hope for the world.”