Recalling the spiritual retreat held at the Vatican earlier this month for several religious and political leaders of South Sudan, he prayed for the opening of "a new page" in the history of the country.
Francis prayed for the peace of Easter to bring comfort to the people of the eastern regions of Ukraine.
For the American continent, he invoked the joy of the resurrection for all those experiencing difficult political and economic situations.
Underlining the situations in Venezuela and Nicaragua, he asked the Lord to "grant that all those with political responsibilities may work to end social injustices, abuses and acts of violence, and take the concrete steps needed to heal divisions and offer the population the help they need."
Let there be an end to the arms race and to the "troubling spread of weaponry," he added.
"Before the many sufferings of our time, may the Lord of life not find us cold and indifferent. May he make us builders of bridges, not walls," Francis stated.
He added: "May the Risen Christ, who flung open the doors of the tomb, open our hearts to the needs of the disadvantaged, the vulnerable, the poor, the unemployed, the marginalized, and all those who knock at our door in search of bread, refuge, and the recognition of their dignity."
"Today the Church renews the proclamation made by the first disciples: 'Jesus is risen!' And from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart, there resounds a call to praise: 'Alleluia, Alleluia!'" he rejoiced.
Quoting from Christus vivit, his recently-published apostolic exhortation on young people, the pope said "Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive! He is in you, he is with you and he never abandons you."
"However far you may wander, he is always there, the Risen One. He calls you and he waits for your to return to him and start over again."
At the end of the blessing, Pope Francis expressed his sorrow for several bombings which took place in churches and hotels in Sri Lanka Sunday morning. More than 100 people were killed and hundreds injured in explosions at three luxury hotels and three churches.
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St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo and St. Sebastian's Catholic parish in Negombo were targeted, as well as the evangelical Zion Church in Batticaolo.
Francis entrusted to the Lord those who have died and been wounded, and all who are suffering because of the attack: "I wish to express my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, struck while it was gathered in prayer, and to all the victims of such cruel violence," he said.
The pope wished all those gathered in St. Peter's Square, and all those participating via radio or television, a happy Easter, noting that it was on Easter Sunday 70 years ago that a pope spoke for the first time on television.
Venerable Pope Pius XII addressed the viewers of French TV, "underlining how the eyes of the Successor of Peter and the faithful could also meet through a new means of communication," he said.
"This occasion offers me the opportunity to encourage Christian communities to use all the tools that the technique makes available to announce the good news of the risen Christ."
Francis also thanked the donors of the flowers in St. Peter's Basilica and Square, which came from the Netherlands and Slovenia.