Tens of thousands of pilgrims filled St Peter's Square for the pope's traditional "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) message, amid a sombre holiday for Italians mourning nearly 300 people killed in an earthquake.

In other parts of the world, pilgrims flocked to the spot where Jesus is believed to have resurrected in Jerusalem, while Christians celebrated Easter in war-torn countries such as Iraq.

The pope led a procession of cardinals and bishops across St Peter's square decked out in springtime flowers and ascended red-carpeted steps to take his place before St Peter's Basilica as Swiss Guards stood at attention.

"Happy Easter to you, men and women of Italy, in particular those who suffer because of the earthquake. May the risen Christ ... inspire in all the necessary wisdom and courage to proceed united in the building of a future open to hope," he said in Italian.

The pontiff also appealed for peace in Africa and said reconciliation among rival factions in the Middle East was "difficult, but indispensable." Benedict plans to travel to Israel and Jordan next month.

Christian pilgrims from across the globe filled every nook of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to celebrate Easter on the spot many believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

The cavernous interior of the church, considered by most Christians as their holiest site, was filled with the glow of thousands of candles for Easter yesterday as worshippers crowded into its labyrinth of chapels and crypts.

In Baghdad, hundreds of Iraqi Christians marked Easter in a country where thousands of the religion's followers have fled the majority Muslim nation since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Father Boutros Hadad, of the Church of Mary the Virgin in Baghdad's Karrada district, told worshippers that Easter was a time to forgive past sins and an opportunity to look to the future.