Pope presides at Easter Vigil amid martyr concerns
Pope Francis presided over the symbolic and solemn Easter Vigil service amid mounting Vatican concern for modern-day Christian martyrs.
Francis has voiced increasing alarm about the attacks, which have led Christians to abandon communities in the Mideast that have existed since Jesus’ time.
Francis walked in the dark down an utterly silent St. Peter’s Basilica at the start of the vigil Mass, which precedes the celebration on Easter Sunday commemorating Christ’s resurrection after his crucifixion. The darkness signified the darkness in Jesus’ tomb between his death and resurrection. The faithful held lit candles as the pope walked up the main aisle, and then the basilica’s lights were turned on in a blaze.
During the late-night service, 10 people from Italy, Portugal, Albania, Kenya and Cambodia were baptized.
One of them was a 66-year-old woman from Kenya, the country where al Shabaab Islamist militants killed 148 people at a university, apparently singling out Christians to kill while letting some Muslims escape.
Another of those baptized was a 29-year-old Italian citizen of Egyptian origin, whose name indicated he may have been born into a Muslim family. He chose Paul as his new Christian name.
Marking the third Easter since his election in 2013, Francis called on Catholics to learn how to “enter the mystery” of Easter, the commemoration of the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.
“To enter into the mystery means going beyond our own comfort zone, beyond the laziness and indifference which hold us back, and going out in search of truth, beauty and love,” Francis said.
“It is seeking a deeper meaning, an answer, and not an easy one, to the questions which challenge our faith, our fidelity and our very existence,” he said.
St. Peter’s Basilica was in darkness for the start of the service to signify the darkness in Jesus’ tomb between his death and resurrection.
The faithful held lit candles as the pope walked up the main aisle, and then the basilica’s lights were turned on in a blaze.
Signifying the end of the penitential season of Lent, which began on Feb. 18 with Ash Wednesday, the basilica’s great bells rang out at the mid-point of the Mass.
Today, the pope will say another Mass in St. Peter’s Square and then deliver his twice yearly “Urbi et Orbi” blessing and message.
Mor mon leaders once again used their biannual conference Saturday to outline the faith’s commitment to the belief that marriage is an institution exclusive to a man and a woman.
L. Tom Perry, a church leader, cautioned Mormons not to be swayed by a world filled with media and entertainment that makes the minority seem like the majority and tries to make mainstream values seem obsolete. Perry said strong, traditional families are the basic units of a stable society, a stable economy and a stable culture of values. He said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would continue to be a leading voice on the issue.
“We want our voice to be heard against all of the counterfeit and alternative lifestyles that try to replace the family organization that God Himself established,” said Perry, a member of the faith’s Quorum of the Twelve.
The quorum is a governing body of the church that is modeled after Jesus Christ’s apostles and serves under the church president and his two counselors.
The conference began Saturday without the usual welcoming address from church President Thomas S. Monson, 87, who is reducing the number of speeches he’s giving. He was present at the conference, walking in on his own power.
During his speech, Perry recalled participating in the Colloquium on Marriage and Family in November at the Vatican with other faith leaders. He noted that there exists a shared belief among many faiths about the importance of marriage being between a man and woman.
What sets Mormon belief apart, Perry said, is the belief that marriages and families are forever. “Our marriage ceremonies eliminate the words ‘till death do us part’ and instead say, ‘for time and for all eternity,”’ Perry said.
As acceptance for gay marriage has swelled in recent years and same-sex unions have become legal in dozens of states, including Utah, the church’s stance on homosexuality has softened. Church leaders helped push through a Utah law this year that bars housing and employment discrimination against gay and transgender individuals while also expanding protections for the rights of religious groups and individuals. LGBT activists have spent years pushing for a statewide non-discrimination law, but couldn’t get traction until LDS leaders made a nationwide call for such legislation that combined protections for religious liberties.
But the religion continues