Scottish Catholic Observer

The leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales hailed Easter as a ‘triumph of light over darkness and life over death.’

Speaking at the celebration of the Easter Vigil Mass at London’s Westminster Cathedral, Archbishop Vincent Nichols drew on the messages of the newly elected Pope Francis as he called for Catholics to live their Faith with a ‘young heart.’

During his homily at the Mass, the Archbishop of Westminster also referred to the ‘wounds inflicted upon humanity by evil’ and explained that ‘darkness’ and ‘death’ is the reality of the bond of sin in our lives.

“Let us be honest and realistic,” Archbishop Nichols said. “We know the reality of sin, each and every one of us.

“This week, Pope Francis spoke of its reality in these words: ‘Look around—how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil. Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money which none of us can take with us.’

“We know how those habits become actions, acts which we regret yet often repeat. All of this comes under the uncomfortable word ‘sin.’

“All of this is overcome in the victory of Christ.”

Archbishop Nichols added that Christ’s victory ‘is not yet fully ours.’

“It is His gift, but a gift which we only ever partially grasp in this world,” the archbishop said.

At the close of his Easter Vigil homily, Archbishop Nichols returned to the words of Pope Francis, who in his message to young people on living their Faith as a witness to the world, said: “You bring us the joy of Faith and you tell us that it must be lived with a young heart—a young heart, always, even at the age of 70 or 80. With Christ, the heart never grows old.

—This story was published in full in the April 5 print edition of the SCO