For the second year in a row, Pope Francis held Easter Mass in a small circle in St. Peter's Church.

In his Easter message Urbi et Orbi - to the city and the world - the pope traditionally highlighted the challenges facing the world.

"The pandemic continues to spread, while the social and economic crisis is deep, especially for the poor," Francis said.

St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on Easter Sunday.

Photo: AFP 4 April 2021

"Global responsibility for vaccines"

The big Easter service usually takes place in a crowded St. Peter's Basilica or in St. Peter's Square, where 100,000s of people usually gather.

On Easter Day 2021, less than 200 people gathered in St. Peter's Church, but the mass was broadcast live on television to tens of millions of people around the world.

Peter's Square, on the other hand, was almost completely empty, except for a few police officers who were to maintain a three-day national shutdown due to covid-19.

Francis praised the medical staff in his Easter message and said that he has compassion for young people who cannot attend school.

He also said that everyone should take part in the fight against the pandemic and demands that vaccination be faster.

"I urge the international community to take global responsibility for overcoming delays in the delivery of vaccines, especially in the poorest countries," Fraciskus said.

The pope asked God to "comfort the sick, those who have lost a beloved and unemployed youth."

He calls on the authorities to provide a "decent livelihood" for the families most in need.

Pope Francis has Mass on Easter Sunday in St. Peter's Church in the Vatican City.

Photo: Epa 4 April 2021

Conflicts and nuclear weapons

Pope Francis also spoke of disarmament and a total ban on nuclear weapons.

- It is a scandal that armed conflicts do not end and that military arsenals are growing.

Myanmar and Africa

Pope Francis also made political and humanitarian statements on the situation in Southeast Asia and Africa.

He expressed support for young people's struggle for democracy in Myanmar and demanded peace in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia and the province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique.

He said the crisis in Yemen had been met by total silence.

The pope also called on Israelis and Palestinians to "rediscover the power of dialogue" to reach a two-state solution so that they can live side by side in prosperity.

Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on Easter Sunday.

Photo: Epa 4 April 2021