Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday aged 88, was a radical pontiff, a champion of underdogs who forged a more compassionate Catholic Church. Even in his final Easter message to the world, he spoke directly to people in power "not to not to yield to the logic of fear".

The Pope's Easter speech — known as the “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world”) was read aloud by an aide as the pontiff looked on from the main balcony of St Peter's Basilica,

“How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalised and migrants,” the pontiff said. “I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear, which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development.

These are the ‘weapons’ of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death.”
In the message, the pontiff reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Before a five-week hospital stay for pneumonia, which nearly killed him, Francis had been ramping up criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful" in January.

In the Easter message, the pontiff said the situation in Gaza was "dramatic and deplorable". The pope also called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas to release its remaining hostages and condemned what he said was a "worrisome" trend of antisemitism in the world.

"I express my closeness to the sufferings ... of all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people," he said. "I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace," he added.