Pope Francis makes brief Easter appearance, calls for Gaza ceasefire

Pope Francis reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in an Easter Sunday message read aloud by an aide as the pontiff, still recovering from pneumonia, looked on during a brief appearance on the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The 88-year-old pope, limiting his workload on doctors' orders, did not preside over the Vatican's Mass for Easter but appeared at the end of the event for a twice-yearly blessing and message known as the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world). Before a five-week hospital stay for pneumonia, which nearly killed him, Francis had been ramping up criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza. In the Easter message, the pontiff said the situation in Gaza was "dramatic and deplorable". The pope also called on Palestinian terror group Hamas to release its remaining hostages and condemned what he said was a "worrisome" trend of antisemitism in the world. "I express my closeness to the sufferings ... of all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people," said the message. "I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace," it said.