Pope Francis made similar statements during Easter Sunday Mass at St Peter's Square in the Vatican, where he also made a nod to the recent agreement between Iran and the international community over its nuclear power, calling it a 'step toward a more secure and fraternal world.'

The Archbishop said Christians must resist without violence the persecution they suffer and support persecuted communities, with love and goodness and generosity.
And he said: 'To witness is to be a martyr. I am told by the Coptic Bishop in England that the Coptic Christians murdered in Libya last month died proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord. They are martyrs, a word that means both one that dies for their faith and one that witnesses to faith.

'There have been so many martyrs in the last year. On Maundy Thursday, three days ago, around 150 Kenyans were killed because of being Christian. They are witnesses, unwilling, unjustly, wickedly, and they are martyrs in both senses of the word.'

He added: 'These martyrs too are caught up in the resurrection: their cruel deaths, the brutality of their persecution, their persecution is overcome by Christ himself at their side because they share his suffering, at their side because he rose from the dead.

'Because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead the cruel are overcome, evil is defeated, martyrs conquer.'

'We ask for peace, above all, for Syria and Iraq, that the roar of arms may cease and that peaceful relations may be restored among the various groups which make up those beloved countries. May the international community not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees.

'We pray for peace for all the peoples of the Holy Land. May the culture of encounter grow between Israelis and Palestinians and the peace process be resumed, in order to end years of suffering and division.

'We implore peace for Libya, that the present absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence may cease, and that all concerned for the future of the country may work to favor reconciliation and to build a fraternal society respectful of the dignity of the person. For Yemen too we express our hope for the growth of a common desire for peace, for the good of the entire people.

'At the same time, in hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world.

We ask the risen Lord for the gift of peace for Nigeria, South Sudan and for the various areas of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who lost their lives - I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya -, for all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones.

Earlier today, thousands of worshippers braved thunder and rain to see Pope Francis lead Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican this morning.

The iconic square had turned into a sea of umbrellas as a large crowd of Catholic faithful gathered to see the Pope lead the service in the enclave in Rome.

The pontiff himself was shielded from the pelting rain by a canopy outside St. Peter's Basilica, while prelates carried umbrellas in the yellow and white colors of the Vatican.

Following days of warm temperatures and sunshine, Rome was lashed by thunderstorms early on Sunday, and the faithful wore rain slickers and held umbrellas during Mass.

Afterwards, Pope Francis delivered a mostly sombre and grim 'Urbi et Orbi' (to the city and the world) message, where he prayed for an end to the persecution of Christians, commemorating the students massacred by Islamist militants at Garissa University in Kenya.

'We ask Jesus, the victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence - and there are many,' he said.

The pope spoke from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica as churches in Kenya, where al-Shabaab gunmen massacred nearly 150 people, singling out Christians for point-blank executions, turned to armed guards to protect their congregations on the most important day of the Christian liturgical year.
Marking the third Easter since his election in 2013, the pope maintained an Easter vigil tradition by baptising late entries into the Church.

'May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who lost their lives - I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya - for all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones.'

Marking the third Easter since his election in 2013, the pontiff prayed for peace in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, where Boko Haram Islamist militants have also targeted Christian churches.

'We ask for peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups,' he said.

'Peace and liberty for the victims of drug dealers, who are often allied with the powers who ought to defend peace and harmony in the human family.

'And we ask peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who make their money from the blood of men and women' he said.

The pontiff also made a nod to the recent deal reached in Switzerland last week between Iran and the international community on a framework for a nuclear accord.

'In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world.

END