Pope Francis, who is still recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia, marked Easter Sunday by making at brief appearance to bless thousands of people who had gathered for mass in St Peter’s Square, and by holding a short meeting with the US vice-president, JD Vance. The 88-year-old pontiff – who nearly died during his recent, five-week stay at Rome’s Gemelli hospital – did not celebrate Easter Sunday mass in the piazza, instead delegating the service to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica. But when mass ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance, prompting huge cheers. “Brothers and sisters, happy Easter!” he said, his voice sounding stronger than it has for weeks. The crowd responded with a chant of, “Viva il Papa!” (Long live the Pope!). The pope has made only a handful of public appearances after leaving hospital and returning to the Vatican on 23 March. He skipped the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday leading up to Easter, but had been expected to make an appearance on Sunday to celebrate the most important day in the Christian calendar. In accordance with his doctors’ orders for two months of convalescence and respiratory therapy to improve his lung function, the pope has cut back his workload. He did, however, find time on Sunday to meet Vance, who had had “an exchange of opinions” with the Vatican’s secretary of state over international conflicts and immigration when they met a day earlier. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, has in the past tangled with the pope over immigration and Donald Trump’s plans to deport people en masse. Francis has made caring for those who migrate a hallmark of his papacy and his progressive views on social justice issues have often put him at odds with members of the more conservative US Catholic church. According to a short statement from the Vatican, Vance met Francis at his residence for a few moments on Sunday morning “to exchange Easter greetings”. In the traditional Urbi et Orbi message, which was read out on his behalf on Sunday morning, Francis reminded Roman Catholics that Easter was a day of joyful resurrection. “Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge,” his speech said. “Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.” Francis also stressed the importance of using Easter to “revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God! He went on to remind people of the suffering in Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, among many other places. He added: “I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the ‘weapons’ of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!” In keeping with its tradition of diplomatic neutrality, the Holy See has responded cautiously to the Trump administration. It has expressed alarm over the US president’s crackdown on immigration and cuts to international aid, and has called for peaceful resolutions to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Those concerns were reflected in the Vatican statement on Saturday’s meeting, which said the talks were cordial and that the Vatican expressed satisfaction with the administration’s commitment to protecting freedom of religion and conscience. “There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners,” the statement said. “Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.” The reference to “serene collaboration” appeared to refer to Vance’s accusation that the US conference of Catholic bishops was resettling “illegal immigrants” in order to obtain federal funding. Top US cardinals have pushed back strongly against the claim. The Associated Press contribute to this report