Pope Leo urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to chose peace. This should not be a peace “imposed by force”, he stressed, but one achieved through dialogue – “not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them”.

Pope Leo processes into St Peter's Basilica   (@Vatican Media)

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-leo-easter-vigil-hatred-mighty-sin-resurrection.html

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Pope: Easter drives out hatred and brings down the mighty

At the Easter Vigil Mass in the Vatican, Pope Leo says that “God responds to the hardness of sin – which divides and kills – with the power of love, which unites and restores life”... 

War, injustice, and isolation

In the final portion of his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the “tombs still to be opened today”, such as “mistrust, fear, selfishness, and resentment”, as well as “war, injustice, and the isolation of peoples and nations”.

The Pope exhorted his listeners to not allow themselves to be “paralysed” in the face of such challenges.

Instead, he said, we should imitate the “commitment” of the saints who have gone before us, so that “the Easter gifts of harmony and peace might grow and flourish everywhere and always throughout the world”... 

Flowers in St Peter's Square during the Urbi et Orbi blessing   (@Vatican Media)

Urbi et Orbi: Pope urges world leaders to lay down weapons

On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo appeals to world leaders to choose “not to dominate others, but to encounter them”. He also announces that he will lead a prayer vigil for peace next Saturday, April 11th, in Saint Peter’s Basilica. 

By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Leo XIV has called on world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose “encounter” over domination.

“Let those who have weapons lay them down!”, the Pope urged on Easter Sunday in his traditional Urbi et Orbi (‘To the City and the World’) message.

Speaking to the tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square, Pope Leo urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to chose peace. 

This should not be a peace “imposed by force”, he stressed, but one achieved through dialogue – “not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them”.

READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE

The 'globalisation of indifference'

Pope Leo warned that the world is “growing accustomed to violence”.

We are “becoming indifferent”, he said, not only to the deaths of thousands of people, but to the “hatred and division” war causes, as well as its “economic and social consequences”.

Borrowing a phrase from the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo warned of the “ever-increasing ‘globalisation of indifference’”.

“We cannot continue to be indifferent!”, he urged. “We cannot resign ourselves to evil!”.

For this reason, he said, he would be leading a prayer vigil for peace next Saturday, April 11th, in St Peter’s Basilica.

Nonviolence and 'true strength'

At Easter, the Pope said, Jesus won victory over death, and thereby “defeated once and for all the ancient adversary, the prince of this world”.

However, Pope Leo stressed, the power with which Christ won this victory is “entirely nonviolent”, based on a love which “creates and generates”, “forgives and redeems”.

This spirit of love and forgiveness, he said, is the “true strength” that establishes peace, and fosters relationships amongst individuals and societies.

Inner peace

Bringing his Urbi et Orbi message to a close, the Pope stressed that Easter peace is not merely “the silence of weapons” but also an inner peace which “touches and transforms the heart of each one of us”.

“Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ”, Pope Leo urged, entrusting to the Lord "all hearts that suffer and await the true peace that only he can give.”

 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-leo-urbi-et-orbi-easter-2026-peace-weapons-war-dialogue.html

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It Being Sunday ... a 2025 poem by Anne Selden Annab

"La Liberalité". Texte latin: "Dives in omnes". (Il est riche pour tous). Corne d'abundance. Pierre Le Moyne (1602-1671): De l'art de regner / Le Moyne. Publisher: À Paris : chez Sebastien Cramoisy et Sebastien Mabre-Cramoisy, imprimeurs du Roy.

 

        It Being Sunday

It being Sunday

in a land with many churches

I pray that prayers for peace 

rise up, rise up to sway

people away from war.

Away from bombing children,

pulverizing families,

and homes ... and jobs.

Away from generating enemies.

Away from creating poverty, starvation, suffering...

Might does not make right

nor does armed resistance.

Scorn violence!

We live in an age of computers- the internet

an endless feed of personal truths at our fingertips

with the power of fair and just laws

able to shape a better way forward

for all of humankind.

poem  copyright ©2025 Anne Selden Annab

Dear America- Hate crimes are escalating here in America with people primed by Zionism to think, say and do horrible things...

Norman Rockwell's The Golden Rule- United Nations Art

Dear America,

Hate crimes are escalating here in America with people primed by Zionism to think, say and do horrible things: Two people were shot this week by a Jewish man in Miami, Florida who believed he was killing Palestinians. 

Be honest- hate crimes and violence globally are being exasperated by modern man-made Israel and all who help fund, arm, excuse & protect Israel's racist war on the native non-Jewish Arab population of the Holy Land.

Violence, including extensive ongoing state sponsored terrorism by Israeli soldiers and settlers, only stokes religious extremism and stupidity on every "side".... There should not be sides: There should be the rule of fair and just laws fully respecting every one, regardless of supposed race or religion or whatever.

We have the technology today to track down and arrest people, and we have the systems in place to try them for crimes. So please stop investing in war and weaponry.

AND FYI Religion should be a personal private choice, not a state sponsored project and a scheme to determine citizenship rights and freedoms. 

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Notes  https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr Martin Luther King Jr

"Differences of race, nationality or religion should not be used to deny any human being citizenship rights or privileges" Rosa Parks

"Whatever our nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status, the international community on December 10 1948 made a commitment to upholding dignity and justice for all of us..."

A Humanitarian Plea from the Churches of Jerusalem: Defending the Dignity and Presence of the People of Gaza. Feb. 14 2025 Jerusalem, the Holy Land

NOTHING justifies violent extremism ... United Nations plan of action to prevent violent extremism

Palestine West Bank Access Restrictions Map | November 2024 & Maps showing Israeli made checkpoints & barriers on Palestinian land

‘Last nail in the coffin’: Israeli settlers push on with fresh West Bank land grab... "Israeli settlers are pushing ahead with a largely unnoticed de facto annexation of large areas of rural land in the occupied West Bank that has already seen the almost total displacement of Bedouin in large areas." 13 Feb 2025

Gaza Must Be Rebuilt by Palestinians, for Palestinians: Palestinians returning after the ceasefire confront the destruction of their homes and the horror of President Trump’s proposal to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” by committing ethnic cleansing. Essay by Mosab Abu Toha February 12, 2025 in The New Yorker

On this day in 1990, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, a revolutionary leader, was released from prison after 27 years... " It only seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela  "My dream would be a multicultural society, one that is diverse and where every man, woman and child are treated equally. I dream of a world where all people of all races work together in harmony." Nelson Mandela

It’s revealing that Netanyahu’s first meeting was not with American Jewish leaders but with American evangelicals.

Last week, Israel carried out its largest demolition operation in the West Bank since 1967, destroying twenty buildings in the Jenin Refugee Camp within seconds. This assault is part of a broader escalation that has unfolded over the past two weeks... These measures involve mass arrests, ground raids, and demolitions, aiming to dismantle social infrastructure and disrupt daily life in a manner reminiscent of previous assaults on Gaza.

2025: Israeli undercover forces raid East Jerusalem's Educational Bookshop—an intellectual lighthouse and family-run gem resisting Palestinian erasure under apartheid: Israel is now detaining booksellers for the crime of... selling books.

Nine Quarters of Jerusalem- A New Biography of the Old City by Matthew Teller, lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city’s depth and cultural diversity.

No Other Land’ is a shocking look at Palestinian life under occupation - a documentary about the systemic demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank

Dear America- Don't let American weaponry or words inspire even more religious extremism, terrorism, and state sponsored brutality world-wide

"How many Americans singing 'Oh Little Town of Bethlehem' realize their taxes help drive Christians away from that sacred place" Munther Issac, Palestinian Christian & Pastor

Dear America- Slavery, Segregation and Forced Displacement are wrong. Wrong then and wrong now

"One hundred years later [after the end of slavery] the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. 1963

Photograph shows a woman in a traditional embroidered Palestinian dress and headdress, standing on balcony on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, Palestine. Probable date of photo 1918

Treatment of Gaza to Nazi Germany “Some of them might in 10 years wake up and say, ‘Why did I justify that?’”

United Nations Working for peace, rights and wellbeing since 1945. World Interfaith Harmony Week ... Every single soul matters

Building a Culture of Peace ...

Please do not demonize and silence or destroy people who speak out peacefully against corruption, injustice, racism, bigotry, and violence of every type.

My Letters https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/letters

 

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

 

In the aftermath of the ceasefire in Gaza, 1.9 million displaced people urgently need shelter, aid, and psycho-social support.⁣ ⁣UNRWA plays a vital role in fostering stability and resilience during this critical time.⁣

"If the U.S. had held Israel accountable for the killing of other Americans like Rachel Corrie or Shireen Abu Akleh, perhaps Israeli soldiers would not feel so emboldened to kill Americans, and other civilians, today." Hamad Ali in The Hill 12/14/24

American human rights activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli soldier on Sept. 6, 2024, while she was peacefully standing under an olive tree in the occupied West Bank.

 There is a long history of Israeli soldiers unlawfully killing U.S. citizens with impunity, like the renowned Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh ...

Why isn’t Israel being held accountable for killing my wife and other innocents?

by Hamid Ali, opinion contributor  - 12/14/24

What do you do with the clothes your wife was wearing when she was killed, now stained with her blood? How do you preserve them as evidence for an investigation that may never happen? What else can you do when your government has given no indication that it will hold her killer — a soldier in the army of a close ally — accountable, despite three months of daily efforts to get basic answers?  

My wife, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli soldier on Sept. 6, 2024, while peacefully standing under an olive tree in the occupied West Bank. Although the Biden administration has described her death as unprovoked and unjustified, it has yet to apply adequate pressure on Israel to seek justice for the killing of one of its citizens....  READ MORE   https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5039207-aisenur-ezgi-eygi-killed-israel/

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Dear America- Israel and its propagandists claim it is all about self-defense, but Israel is and has been the aggressor and the rule breaker.

Postcard from If Americans Knew

My 12/13/2024 letter to elected leaders

Dear America,

There is something we can do right now TODAY to end the violence and suffering in The Holy Land- STOP ARMING ISRAEL.

Israel freely violates all borders and international law and human rights over and over and over.  

Israel and its propagandists claim it is all about self-defense,  but Israel is and has been the aggressor and the rule breaker. 

Please do not send Americans in to learn anything about security or police work in Israel, for Israel wants our money but scorns our ideals of real justice, freedom, equality, and democracy.

Do not trust Israel.  Time and time again, for decades now, Israel has cruelly persecuted and impoverished the native non-Jewish men, women and children of historic Palestine. 

Please stop funding, fueling and exasperating racist Israel's cruel crimes against humanity.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Notes  https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

SAVE THE CHILDREN please suspend all arms sales to the Government of Israel

CHRISTMAS 2024: From DC to the Vatican, baby Jesus is wearing a keffiyeh (RNS) — The pro-Palestinian creche is intended to point out the disconnect between the idealized Bethlehem of most representations and the reality in present-day Gaza and the West Bank.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib: "A horrific genocide is happening right now and it should be documented in the Congressional Record. The silence and indifference in Congress is disturbing. I submitted Amnesty’s 296-page report concluding that the Israeli government is committing genocide against Palestinians."

Amnesty International’s 2024 Human Rights Defender Award: The ongoing genocide in Gaza has exacted a devastating toll on journalists, those who risk their lives to report the truth. Among the 44,000 killed in Gaza, 138 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while carrying out their critical role of bearing witness, truth-telling and documenting atrocities...

If I Must Die a book of poetry and prose by Refaat Alareer of Palestine: "If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale..."

UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution A/ES-10/L.32 affirming its full support for the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency UNRWA and deploring the legislation adopted by the Israeli Knesset on 28 October 2024 VOTE: In favor: 159 Against: 9 Abstain: 11

Human Rights Day:

Bethlehem longs for the Prince of Peace this Christmas... "Before war broke out last year, there were an estimated 45,000 Christians in the Jerusalem and the West Bank, and another 1,500 in Gaza. Today, there are likely far fewer."

#AdventNotArms

This Christmas, once again, we find ourselves reflecting on the meaning of Christmas through the image of Christ in the Rubble... 87% of housing units in Gaza are damaged.

BDS commemorates 37 years since the beginning of the 1st Palestinian Intifada of 1987... TAKE #nonviolent ACTION

Pope: ‘Enough with wars and violence in the world, let there be peace in the whole world’ 2024-12-07

Mosab Abu Toha of Palestine's newest book of poems Forest of Noise

Mary consoles Eve- art by Sister Grace Remington, a Cistercian nun at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Iowa

Palestinian women wearing traditional dresses (thobe), each different design represent different Palestinian villages and cities.

Israel/OPT/Palestine: Law to ban UNRWA amounts to criminalization of humanitarian aid

Amnesty International investigation concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

Soha Abdul Salam Saqallah, 13 years old, was killed by Israel today along with her entire family.

Americans should focus on building peace - My letter published online in my local newspaper The Patriot News: "Our domestic and foreign policies should align to shape true justice, peace, and prosperity for all people, regardless of race or religion."

"The United Nations was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell." ~Dag Hammarskjöld, second Secretary-General of the United Nations

 

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

My Letters https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/letters

Dear Elected Officials- Stop poisoning the land, and undermining international law.

People need and lack everything #CeasefireNow

 

UNRWA

@UNRWA

 

Every time families in #Gaza are forced to flee, they find themselves sheltering anywhere they can. In Nuseirat, makeshift tents take up every inch of available space, up to the shoreline. 

 

Living and hygiene conditions are inhumane. 

 

People need and lack everything #CeasefireNow

 

American Money for Schools not Israeli Apartheid ... recent protest in Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA 07-2024

 

It’s sadly reported that one of Gaza’s most prominent poets, Saleem Al-Naffar, has been buried since last Thursday with his family under the rubble of the house where he sought refuge in Gaza City. The bodies can’t be retrieved. No one can check whether any person can be rescued.

Palestinian Poet Saleem Al Naffar

Life

Knives might eat

what remains of my ribs,

machines might smash

what remains of stones,

but life is coming,

for that is its way,

creating life even for us.

 

          Born in 1963 into the crude conditions of a refugee camp near Gaza City, Saleem was hardly of walking-age when the aftermath of the 1967 war with Israel forced his family to migrate to another camp of desperation, called Al Raml, near Latakia in Syria.

His word for that boyhood is “melancholy,” and it ended at age ten when his father passed away there, making Saleem the family-man most responsible for his mother, brother and sisters.

          Literature and poetry were his solace: he began writing lyrics in high school, and then studied Arabic literature at Tishreen University. After first seeking out any available stage for reciting his poems, Naffar soon began placing them in Arabic journals and newspapers.

As he began a family of his own, his literary reputation grew, and after the 1994 founding of the Palestinian Authority, Naffar returned with his family to live in Gaza. He still lives and writes there, publishing new critically-recognized volumes of poems, novels (for example, Nights of Latakia), and an autobiography (Little Memory on Happiness)—working also as an editor for a range of Arabic journals and magazines.

          “Generations of my family have endured the needless poverty of apartheid,” Naffar has said. “From that, I sometimes sing of our despair. But maybe people like my work because, even so, it never gives in to hatred or calls for violence.”

 https://jackdempseywriter.wordpress.com/2021/11/21/visions-of-justice/

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Mosab Abu Toha

@MosabAbuToha

 It’s sadly reported that one of Gaza’s most prominent poets, Saleem Al-Naffar, has been buried since last Thursday with his family under the rubble of the house where he sought refuge in Gaza City. The bodies can’t be retrieved. No one can check whether any person can be rescued.

MC Abdul - The Pen & The Sword (Official Video)

Sep 15, 2023 #MCAbdul

 Lyrics:

 

I’ll remind them that the pen is greater than the sword

Remind them every time it’s greater than the sword

Education we defend is gonna save the world

Dream and reunite together save the world

I’ll remind them that the pen is greater than the sword

Don’t stop trying we all equally gods lives

Education we defend is gonna save the world

Save the world save the world nshallah

 

Education is not just some privilege

It’s a right every child deserves it’s GOD given

That right comes under threat it must be defended

You don’t think Allah don’t see what u doin to his children

Who’s been held accountable? Who’s in charge mister?

These kids don’t have nun to do with y’all business

You should be building more schools not prisons

They bombed us it ain’t even make the news in y’all city

He could’ve been a scholar but he’s a child of Gaza

Missile hit his home and crushed it killed his ba ba

We should be playing soccer or meeting up by our lockers

He wanted to be a doctor

But he didn’t have those options ( I told him)

 

I’ll remind them that the pen is greater than the sword

Remind them every time it’s greater than the sword

Education we defend is gonna save the world

Dream and reunite together save the world

I’ll remind them that the pen is greater than the sword

Don’t stop trying we all equally gods lives

Education we defend is gonna save the world

Save the world save the world nshallah

 

The system need to be eradicated

Thee attack on education has been activated

It’s not random it’s intentional it’s calculated

I’ll be lying if I said I wasn’t aggravated

I ain’t smiling cause I ain’t happy

Know how many times I prayed for peace and peace ain’t happen?

Still get on my rug and pray for peace till god take take actions

And people held responsible for they actions

Until then we gotta stay active

 

We need change that change needs to be data driven

Accurate comprehensive, and since we are the victims

We deserve a voice in day today, decisions

And we can dig this generation out these grave conditions

 

Official Audio by MC Abdul - "The Pen & The Sword" © 2023 MC Abdul / EMPIRE