Christians From Manhattan To Vatican City Celebrate Easter

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Christians around the globe celebrated Easter on Sunday.

In Manhattan, worshippers from across the country packed St. Patrick's Cathedral to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, CBS2's Ilana Gold reported. Some showed up as early as 6:30 a.m.

"It's our first visit here, and it's just been spectacular," said Jeff Harris, of Seattle, who arrived early to get a seat at the first Mass. "So this'll be quite an event."

"It feels wonderful. It's awfully early for us, but what they hay?" Harris added

Jim Pieper, of Amityville, said, to him, Easter means "he has risen, and it's a new beginning for you as an individual to make amends in your life."

Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated 10:15 a.m. Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, 1010 WINS' Derricke Dennis reported.

"What a magnificent morning in the life of our faith, in the life of our church," Dolan said. "Because this is the day when God, our father, thundered out a 'yes, yes, yes' to everything. This is a day of 'yes,' not of 'no.'"

Dolan delivered a special homily, spreading the message of hope, Gold reported.

"Life trumps death. Good trumps evil. Truth trumps lies. Hope trumps despair. And do we ever need it right now," Dolan said.

The day's prayers included blessings for the cathedral and for those who have recently passed on, Gold reported.

"Lord hear our prayer, especially for Cardinal Egan on this month's anniversary of his passing," Dolan said.

Outside on Fifth Avenue, many carried out the tradition of parading around in their colorful, imaginative bonnets.

Leslie had a large crowd of tourists snapping photos of her and her rose-and-feather hat, as she carried her Yorkie poo who was decked out in a matching bow and top hat.

"He's one of the better dates I've had these days," Leslie joked to WCBS 880's Monica Miller.

Dawn, meanwhile, was wearing a big, yellow brimmed hat that shaded her face from the sun.

For a few hours, Dawn said, it's like being in Irving Berlin's Easter parade with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.

"All the tourists just have such a great time just taking pictures of all us crazy New Yorkers that come out to celebrate our holidays," she said.

Meanwhile, at the Vatican, Pope Francis praised the framework nuclear agreement with Iran as an opportunity to make the world safer, while expressing deep worry about bloodshed in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.

Cautious hope ran through Francis' "Urbi et Orbi" Easter message, a kind of papal commentary on the state of the world's affairs, which he delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter's Square.

He had just celebrated Mass in rain-whipped St. Peter's Square for tens of thousands of people, who huddled under umbrellas or braved the downpour in thin, plastic rain-slickers.

Easter day is "so beautiful, and so ugly because of the rain,' Francis said after Mass about Christianity's most important feast day. He expressed thanks for the flowers which bedecked the square and which were donated by the Netherlands, but the bright hues of the azaleas and other blossoms seemed muted by the gray skies.

Francis made his first public comments about the recent framework for an accord, reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, and aimed at ensuring Iran doesn't develop a nuclear weapon.

"In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world."

Decrying the plentitude of weapons in the world in general, Francis said: "And we ask for peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who earn their living with the blood of men and women."

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