More than a hundred people, including many children, were killed Saturday by a suicide bomb attack on a convoy of refugees leaving besieged villages as part of a demographic exchange.
Francis, making the fifth Easter season of his pontificate, said Mass before tens of thousands of people under exceptional security measure in St Peter's square following recent vehicle attacks against pedestrians in London and Stockholm.
Without naming Venezuela, Pope Francis alluded to political and social tension in Latin America.
In his Easter message, Pope Francis appeared to reference the rising tensions between North Korea and the USA as he urged world leaders to stop "the spread of conflicts".
From the same balcony from where he first appeared to the world on the night of his election in 2013, Francis spoke of God walking "beside all those forced to leave their homelands as a result of armed conflicts, terrorist attacks, starvation and oppressive regimes".
He also mentioned hostilities and starvation plaguing parts of Africa.
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Speaking of Europe's problems, Francis cited the continued conflict and bloodshed in Ukraine and prayed for hope for those struggling with high unemployment, especially young people.
Pope Francis's Easter sermon was marked by an increase in security Sunday.
St Peter's Square was decorated with colorful spring flowers along with the flower pots of hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, pink roses on the steps leading to the church.
"The Church never ceases to say, faced with our defeats, our closed and fearful hearts, 'stop, the Lord is risen.' But if the Lord is risen, how come these things happen?"
Thousands of worshippers gathered in Rome since the early hours to gain access to the Easter mass, the highlight of the Christian calendar.
Mary, "silent witness of the death and resurrection of her son Jesus", can help believers be clearer signs of his love and life in the world "so that those experiencing tribulation and difficulty do not become victims of pessimism and defeat or resignation, but find in us brothers and sisters who offer support and consolation", Pope Francis said.
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