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LIVE: Pope Francis leads Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square
Pope Francis is celebrating his first Easter Sunday since his election, with an open-air Mass in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.
He will then deliver a speech to Rome and to the world - the "Urbi et Orbi" address - from a balcony of St Peter's.
Thousands of pilgrims packed the square early on Sunday before the Pope strode out in front of the basilica and the gospel was sung in Latin.
Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar.
Sunday celebrates the Christian belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and worshippers around the globe have been attending church services.
- In Iraq, Catholics flocked to churches amid tight security. Some 200 worshippers celebrated Mass at St Joseph Chaldean Church in Baghdad
- There were special security arrangements, too, in Pakistan, as worshippers attended churches
- In a message for Easter, UK Prime Minister David Cameron praised the "incredible role" played by Christian churches and organisations in Britain and around the globe
Pope Francis, formerly Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected on 13 March, becoming the first non-European pope for almost 1,300 years.
He replaced Benedict XVI, who held the office for eight years and became the first pontiff in more than 700 years to resign, saying he no longer had the physical strength to continue.
- Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 (age 76) in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent
- Ordained as a Jesuit in 1969
- Studied in Argentina, Chile and Germany
- Became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998
- Seen as orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice
- First Latin American and first Jesuit to become pope, the 266th to lead the Church
The BBC's David Willey reports from Rome that the 76-year-old Pope Francis has already set a new style at the Vatican, reaching out easily to ordinary people and expressing his thoughts in a conversational way that is easy to understand.
He has surprised many of the clerics who work at the Vatican, eating in a communal dining room with other priests and clearly finding much traditional Vatican ceremonial tedious, our correspondent says.
Rather than moving into grand papal apartments, Pope Francis has remained in a Vatican guesthouse, where he has been inviting ordinary people to morning Mass.
At Saturday's Easter vigil Mass in St Peter's, the Pope appealed to non-believers and lapsed Catholics to "step forward" towards God.
"Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward," Pope Francis said.
"He will receive you with open arms."
At the start of the service, the basilica was kept dark to signify Jesus' tomb before what Christians believe was his resurrection. The Pope and the congregation held candles.
The service was shorter than usual, which the Vatican said was in line with Francis' preference.
In the days before Easter, the Pope reached out to women and Muslims.
During a Holy Thursday Mass at a youth detention centre he washed and kissed the feet of 12 people, including two girls and two Muslims, and in a Good Friday procession referred to the "friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters" in the Middle East.
After Easter, the Pope will have to begin tackling the key issues facing the Catholic Church, such as the Vatican bureaucracy, the future of the Vatican bank and the clerical sexual abuse scandal.
Vatican watchers will be keeping a keen eye on new appointments to key positions.
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