In his first Easter as pope Francis calls for peace in his own style

.cnn_html_media_utility before color red content '>>' font size 9px line height 12px padding right 1px .cnnstrylccimg640 margin 0 27px 14px 0 .captionText filter alpha(opacity 100) opacity 1 .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a visited .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a link .captionText a .captionText a visited .captiontext a link color 004276 outline medium none .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto margin 0 auto padding right 68px width 270px > Swiss guards stand in St. Peter's Square before the Easter celebrations at the Vatican on Sunday March 31. Pope Francis led his first Easter Sunday celebrations with a Mass marking the holiest day in the Christian calendar. Francis greets the faithful prior to his first Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after Easter Mass on Sunday. Francis arrives at St. Peter's Square on Sunday. The square is decorated with plants for Easter Sunday. An attendee looks at St. Peter's Basilica through binoculars on Sunday. Swiss guards stand in St. Peter's Square before the Easter celebrations on Sunday. Pope Francis leads the Easter celebrations on Sunday. A priest gives Holy Communion to attendees as Pope Francis delivers Easter Mass on Sunday. Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi blessing for Rome and the world from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after the Easter Mass. Pope Francis holds a candle during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday at St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday March 30 at the Vatican. Francis is taking part in his first Holy Week as pontiff. Pope Francis speaks during the Holy Saturday Easter vigil mass. Pope Francis presides over the Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome on Good Friday March 29. Pope Francis blesses the audience during the Way of the Cross ceremony on Good Friday. Catholics attend the Way Of the Cross procession at the Colosseum on Good Friday. Pope Francis puts his coat on during the celebration of the Way of the Cross on Good Friday March 29 at the Colosseum in Rome. In an act of reverence Pope Francis lies on floor of St. Peter's Basilica during Mass on Good Friday in the Vatican. Pope Francis kisses the foot of a prisoner at the Casal Del Marmo Youth Detention Center during the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Thursday March 28 in Rome. Pope Francis washes the feet of a young offender on March 28. Pope Francis leaves after conducting his first Chrism Mass inside the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica on Holy Thursday. Francis has been following Christian traditions leading up to Easter during his first Holy Week as pontiff. Pope Francis is crowned with his miter on Thursday. Church leaders signal to the front of the church during the Chrism Mass on Thursday. Choirboys fill a line of church benches on Thursday. Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter's Square for his first weekly general audience as pope on Wednesday March 27. Pope Francis greets a child from an open air jeep on Wednesday. Cardinals proceed to the Obelisk as Pope Francis delivers his blessing of the palms during Palm Sunday Mass on March 24. Crowds gather as Pope Francis delivers his blessing on Palm Sunday March 24. People collect olive branches ahead of Pope Francis' blessing on Palm Sunday. Nuns hold olive leaves on March 24. Pope Francis walks after blessing the palms on Palm Sunday. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

(CNN) Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Mass with departures from the style of his predecessor even as he delivered a traditional call for peace.

While it's traditional for the pope to deliver a message of peace on Easter Sunday his direct interactions with the crowd reinforced stylistic differences between him and the austere distant approach of Benedict XVI observers said.

Barely two weeks since his election the first Latin American pope celebrated Easter Mass from an outdoor altar in the presence of tens of thousands of followers in St. Peter's Square. Dressed in white unadorned vestments consistent with his modest image Francis celebrated Easter Mass alone without his cardinals.

After Mass he made his way through St. Peter's Square in an open top popemobile free of bulletproof glass so he could stop to greet followers with handshakes embraces and kisses.

In his first Urbi et Orbi blessing from the papal balcony Francis called for an end to conflicts in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. He also called for peace for Syrians both those devastated by violence in the country and refugees in need of help and harmony in the troubled African nations of Mali and the Central African Republic.

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But while the world scrutinizes his every move papal observers said it was too early to make judgments about how he intends to lead the Catholic Church.

Benedict and Francis are like Pavarotti and Domingo the style is different but the songs are the same said Raymond Arroyo news director and lead anchor of EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network.

What's clear for now Arroyo said is that Francis is intent on bringing the message of the church out to the world as he demonstrated Sunday throughout Holy Week.

When he told his priests Thursday to go look for the lost sheep he added that when they come back they better smell like those sheep Arroyo said.

He wants them amid the people in the muck of life.

The pope was elected almost three weeks ago succeeding Benedict XVI. A former Argentinian cardinal he became the first non European pope of the modern era the first from Latin America the first Jesuit and the first to assume the name Francis.

Already Francis has repeatedly veered from tradition.

Three days ago on Holy Thursday he went to a youth detention center in Rome rather than the city's chief cathedral and washed the feet of a dozen young detainees.

Among the group at the Casal del Marmo were two females and two Muslims.

The pontiff poured water over the young offenders' feet wiped them with a white towel and kissed them. In his homily given to about 50 young offenders he said everyone should help one another.

As a priest and as a bishop I should be at your service. It is a duty that comes from my heart he said.

The act of foot washing is part of the Christian tradition that mirrors Jesus' washing of his disciples' feet.

Francis' decision to include two females an Italian and an Eastern European in the ceremony disturbed some traditionalists who believe the 12 people should reflect the 12 male apostles.

The Vatican Press Office responded Friday to questions and concerns related to the pope's washing the young offenders' feet calling it a simple and spontaneous gesture of love affection forgiveness and mercy.

If anything Francis' outreach to women along with his emphasis on reinvigorating the Christian faith in parts of the world where secularism has the upper hand continues the tradition of Benedict and popes before him said author and theologian Matthew Bunson a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

That hallmark of humility and simplicity are his personal expressions as pope Bunson said. There is something wonderfully new about him but he's also maintaining the teachings of the church in wonderful continuity with the popes who've gone before him.

CNN's Jim Bittermann contributed to this report.

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