With the US-Israeli war on Iran in its second month and Russia's ongoing campaign in Ukraine, the Pope has repeatedly called for a halt in hostilities.
In his Easter homily, he singled out those who wage war, abuse the weak and prioritise profits.
Leo addressed the faithful from an open-air altar in St Peter's Square on Sunday flanked by white roses, while the steps leading down to the piazza where the faithful gathered were filled with spring perennials, symbolically resonating with the pope's message of hope.
The pontiff implored the faithful to keep their hope in the face of death, which lurks "in injustices, in partisan selfishness, in the oppression of the poor, in the lack of attention given to the most vulnerable.
"We see it in violence, in the wounds of the world, in the cry of pain that rises from every corner because of the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because of the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth's resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys," he said.
He quoted his predecessor Pope Francis in warning against falling into indifference in the face of "persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty," because "it is also true that in the midst of darkness, something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit."
In his later "Urbi et Orbi" message — Latin for "to the city and the world.'' the pope lamented that people "are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent".
"Let those who have weapons lay them down," he said. "Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.
"On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars."
In a subdued Easter, ceremonies at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered by Christians as the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, were scaled back under an agreement with Israeli police.
Police last week prevented two of the church's top religious leaders, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday.
On Friday, Pope Leo, carrying a tall, lit candle through a darkened and silent St Peter's Basilica, ushered in Christianity's most joyous celebration with his first Easter vigil service.
Candle bearers stopped to light candles of the congregants as they walked down the central aisle, spreading flickers of light through the dark basilica before the lights went up as the Pope arrived at the baroque main altar, followed by cardinals dressed in white.
16°C