Pope prays for Syria, Nigeria, CAR, Ukraine and Venezuela in Easter Urbi et Orbi address

Pope Francis in his Easter Urbi et Orbi address prayed for a ceasefire in Syria and for government and rebel fighters there to never "again use deadly force" against civilians. He also prayed for victims of violence in Iraq and for the success of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. He prayed for an end to violence in the Central African Republic, in parts of Nigeria and in South Sudan, and for an end to unrest in Ukraine and in Venezuela, where the Vatican is to mediate in peace talks. Francis called for an end to hunger "aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible", and drew attention to the plight of the vulnerable - "especially children, women and the elderly" - migrants fleeing religious persecution and victims of the Eb