Pope Prays for Peace as World’s Christians Observe Easter

VATICAN CITY —  A tired-looking Pope John Paul II led the world’s Roman Catholics in Easter celebrations Sunday, praying for peace in Albania, Africa and the Middle East in his “Urbi et Orbi” message to the world.

The pope celebrated a two-hour Easter Sunday Mass for up to 100,000 people in St. Peter’s Square before reading his message and wishing the world a happy Easter in 57 languages.

The 76-year-old pope, who has suffered a series of health problems in recent years, began the service more than 15 minutes late, sparking rumors that he was not feeling well. The Vatican did not say what caused the delay.

In a departure from tradition, the pope spoke from a chair near the outdoor altar, rather than from the balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica. He would have risked missing a satellite link for the message’s worldwide broadcast if he had gone to the balcony, officials said.

Elsewhere, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said the need for peace “is most obvious in those parts of the world disfigured by violent community conflicts.”

Preaching in Canterbury Cathedral, the spiritual leader of the Church of England said God’s peace should begin in local communities.

In Jerusalem, church bells resonated as thousands of Christians gathered in the Old City. Palestinian Christians from the West Bank, however, were unable to reach the city because of a closure imposed by Israel following a March 21 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

In Washington, President Clinton attended services with his family at the Foundry Methodist Church. Clinton later posed for photographs in the White House Rose Garden with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea, both just returned from Africa.

Meanwhile, as thousands of New Yorkers paraded on Fifth Avenue, Carmen Miranda-style fruit-and-flower displays were a common sight atop straw broad-brimmed hats, as were bunny-ear headbands.

One 13-year-old boy, Corey Walsh, wore a tribute to the Final Four college basketball tournament: a hat with four bunnies shooting balls into tiny hoops.

* HOLIDAY GATHERINGS: Southland congregations celebrate Easter. B1