Peace cannot be achieved without disarmament, and the desire for self-defense cannot turn into an arms race.

Axar.az reports that Pope Francis said this in his Easter message.

The 88-year-old pope himself attended the reading of his message on the porch of St. Peter's Basilica and congratulated the faithful on the occasion of Easter.

"No peace is possible without disarmament! The need for any people to ensure their defense cannot turn into an arms race," he said.

He called for peace in the Holy Land, where Easter is celebrated this year by both Catholics and Orthodox.

"I express my closeness to the suffering Christians in Palestine and Israel, as well as to the entire Israeli and Palestinian people," he said.

The pontiff also called for prayers for Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, and for peace between the parties in the Russia-Ukraine war. In addition, Francis mentioned the Caucasus, where normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is expected, the Balkans, where politicians should not allow tensions and crises, as well as the difficult situation in African countries, Yemen, and Myanmar.

For the first time in the last 11 years, the dates of Orthodox and Catholic Easter coincided.