Pope Francis held an Easter service in Vatican City on Monday, where he marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement peace accord, which ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
During his Regina Coeli Francis said he had prayed "to the God of Peace that what he achieved in that historic passage may be consolidated".
The landmark accord gave formal recognition to Northern Ireland’s multiple identities, allowing residents to identify as British, Irish or both. It ended direct UK rule and set up a Northern Ireland legislature and government with power shared between unionist and nationalist parties.
His Holiness also called for the gift of peace for the whole world, especially for "dear and battered Ukraine".
