Pope preaches peace at Easter

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he adress to the city and the world from a balcony in St. Peter's Square in Vatican (Reuters)

A fatigued-looking Pope Benedict threw his weight behind a United Nations plan to end bloodshed in Syria in his Easter Sunday message yesterday, calling for "an immediate commitment" to peace efforts there.

The 84-year-old pope gave a shorter-than-usual blessing from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica after an outdoor Easter Mass attended by more than 100,000 people in a St Peter's Square. "May the risen Christ grant hope to the Middle East and enable all the ethnic, cultural and religious groups in that region to work together to advance the common good and respect for human rights," he said. REUTERS