Throughout the Easter events, the pope shuffled slowly, lost his balance half a dozen times and stumbled over the words of long prayers. His right arm trembled uncontrollably and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, effects of a neurological disorder that is thought to be Parkinson's disease.

But celebrating Easter Mass amid a sea of flowers in wintry sunshine, the pope radiated purposeful intent as he proclaimed Christ's victory over death.

"Rediscover today with joy and wonder that the world is no longer a slave to the inevitable. This world of ours can change," he told more than 70,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, before delivering greetings in 61 languages. The blessing "to the city and the world" was televised live to some 45 countries.

"Peace is possible even where for too long there has been fighting and death," as in the Holy Land and in the Balkans, he said.

The pope told conflict-stricken Africa to "raise your head confidently" with trust in Christ.

Christ, he said, would help youthful Latin America to "find the capacity and courage needed for a development respectful of every human being" and would help tradition-enriched Asia to "win the challenge of tolerance and solidarity."

"Men and women of every continent, draw from his tomb, empty now forever, the strength needed to defeat the powers of evil and death, and to place all research and all technical and social progress at the service of a better future for all," he said.

He prayed that Christ would "grant that this commitment of ours will not falter, even when weariness slows our steps."

Continuing a centuries-old tradition that was revived during the Holy Year 2000, the pope began the Easter Sunday liturgy by venerating the "Achiropoetos," a 6-foot silver encrusted icon of Christ that was thought to have been brought to Rome from the East sometime in the early Middle Ages.

Another Eastern touch, added because Orthodox and Western Christians celebrate Easter on the same day in 2001, was the introduction of the "stichon," an ancient liturgical text that intersperses verses of Psalm 68 with poetic reflections on Christ's resurrection. A 12-member Byzantine men's choir sang the hymn a cappella in Russian after the Gospel reading.

The hymn highlights the role of women as being the first to discover that Christ's tomb was empty, a theme the pope took up during the Easter Vigil Mass.

"What blessed women," he said. "They did not yet know that this was the dawn of the most important day in history. They could not have known that they ... would be the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection."

During the service, he baptized and confirmed one man, four women and a 6-year-old. girl from Japan, China, Italy, Albania, Peru and the United States, and led the lighting of candles in the darkened basilica.

During a late-night Good Friday ceremony, the pope presided at the torch-lit Way of the Cross. Unlike other years, he walked in the procession only for the last three of the 14 stations, carrying the light wooden cross for the last two. He knelt in prayer for most of the rest of the ceremony.