Faithful Christians marked Easter on Sunday around the world to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter is considered the most important holiday in the Christian liturgical calendar. This year, in a rare occurrence, the holiday fell on the same day for both Catholic and Orthodox Christians, for the first time since 2017.
Easter was fondly welcomed in Europe, with many major capitals holding events and festivals to mark the joyous religious occasion.
In the Vatican, Pope Francis emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile tour through the piazza.
The unexpected sighting of the pontiff who has been battling a complex double pneumonia, leading to weeks of hospitalisation, drew in wild cheers and applause from onlookers.
He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago as the 88-year-old Francis fought for his life.
“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Francis said, his voice sounding stronger than it has since his hospitalisation.
In France, the iconic Parisian Notre Dame cathedral held its first ecumenical Easter celebration on Sunday since reopening to the public in December.
The gothic church was closed to the public for five years to undergo restoration work after a fire ravaged through its structures in 2019, almost bringing about its complete destruction.
Presided over by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, the gathering brought together leaders and faithful from various Christian denominations for a shared moment of prayer, unity, and reflection beneath the newly restored Gothic vaults of the centuries-old cathedral.
The holiday was also celebrated in the United Kingdom. King Charles III and Queen Camilla were given a small posy of flowers by two young children as the left St. George’s Chapel’s Deanery in Windsor on Sunday morning after attending the Easter service.
The Royal couple were earlier joined at the service by Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Anne, Princess Royal and Princess Beatrice with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
And further east of the continent, celebrations were also held in Istanbul. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, led the Easter service in the city on Sunday.
Push for a common Easter date
For more than 400 years, Catholic and Orthodox churches have used different ways to determine the date of Easter.
Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew have been pushing for a permanent common Easter date, despite lingering mistrust between denominations.
ADVERTISEMENTDifferences in tradition and calendar systems – Julian vs. Gregorian – have long kept Easter dates apart. Efforts toward unity, backed by the World Council of Churches, aim to bridge divides.
The idea of a common Easter has been discussed since the 1960s, with interest often peaking when celebrations coincide. The key obstacle has always been the implication that one side would need to concede.
