Faithful Christians worldwide commemorated on Sunday the resurrection of Jesus Christ, from Vatican City where Pope Francis made a surprise look in his popemobile, to Ukraine, where a short-lived Easter truce with Russia appeared in doubt in parts of the country.
Thought about the most crucial vacation in the Christian liturgical calendar, Easter this year falls on the very same day for Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
In Rome, thousands cheered and shouted to take images of Pope Francis as he rode through St. Peter’s Square to bless the crowd. The 88-year-old pope is still recuperating from a near-fatal bout of double pneumonia.
“Bro and siblings, Delighted Easter!” stated Francis, who was launched from the health center March 23 following a five-week stay. He didn’t commemorate the Easter Mass in the piazza this year, rather entrusting it to the retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica.
While a wondrous time for numerous, marked by egg hunts and household events, Easter services suggested durability amongst the faithful in some parts of the world. In southern Lebanon, Easter Mass was held amidst debris inside St. George Melkite Catholic Church. The 18th-century church was harmed in December by an Israeli airstrike.
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