Dear Sisters and Brothers,

we celebrate this Easter feeling that a great stone weighs upon our hearts and seems to suffocate the hopes of humanity: the stone of war and the suffering of so many brothers and sisters. And like the women who went to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week, we ask one another: “Who will roll away this stone for us?”

And behold, the great discovery of Easter morning: the stone had already been rolled away. The tomb of Jesus is open and empty. From there, everything begins anew. Through that empty tomb passes a new path, one that none of us could open, but only God: the path of life in the midst of death, the path of peace in the midst of war, the path of reconciliation in the midst of hatred, the path of fraternity in the midst of enmity.

Yes, Jesus Christ is risen; His love and His mercy have conquered every death. For this reason, He alone is able to remove the stones that block the way to life and to open for us the path toward a renewed world.

This is the day the Lord has made; let it be our joy and our gladness. His mercy endures forever. Alleluia!!!