Greeks celebrate Easter without restrictions
Athens, Greece AP For the first time in three years, Greeks were able to celebrate Orthodox Easter without the restrictions made necessary by the coronavirus pandemic. Beyond the obvious religious messages, in Greece, Easter signifies a return to the countryside, often to people’s ancestral homes, and a mass exodus from big cities. Police and port […]
Crowds throng Seville as curb-free Easter processions return to Spain
Seville, Spain Reuters For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, crowds thronged the streets of Seville as one of Spain’s most iconic Easter processions wound its way through the city from midnight free of social distancing curbs. Known as La Madrugá, or The Dawn, the procession features penitents who wear pointed black hoods […]
Text at Pope’s Good Friday service scrapped after Ukrainian protest
Rome, ItalyReuters A Ukrainian and a Russian woman took part in Pope Francis’ Good Friday “Way of the Cross” service, but the meditation they wrote was scrapped after Ukrainians protested, saying the war made it inopportune. The traditional Via Crucis procession at Rome’s Colosseum had become embroiled in controversy earlier this week when the programme […]
Good Friday, 2022
Remembering Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…
Essay: Holy Thursday is a Christian Passover, when we remember who we are
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE, in an article published by Religion News Service, says Christians cannot understand the Eucharist unless they understand the Jewish Passover…
Ukrainians want Russians removed from Pope’s Good Friday procession
Vatican CityReuters The Vatican’s decision to have both Ukrainians and Russians take part in Pope Francis’ “Way of the Cross” procession on Friday has caused friction with Ukrainian Catholic leaders, who want it to be reconsidered. The annual Via Crucis event on Good Friday at the Colosseum consists of the 14 Stations of the Cross, […]
Snapshot: Easter around the world
In a special Snapshot, we present some images of Easter as it was celebrated around the world…
Church complains after UK police shut down London Good Friday service
LondonReuters A Roman Catholic church in London said on Saturday it would complain to the police after officers shut down a Good Friday service on the grounds it broke COVID-19 lockdown rules limiting the size of congregations. Footage on social media showed two officers entering the Christ the King Polish Catholic Church in Balham, south […]
During Way of the Cross, Pope Francis put children at the centre
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis presided at a scaled back “Way of the Cross” service held in an empty St Peter’s Square on Friday due to coronavirus restrictions, listening as children recounted their fears and dreams. It was the second consecutive year that the “Via Crucis” procession, commemorating the last hours in Jesus’ life, was not […]
Updated: Christians mark Good Friday, Holy Week under virus woes
Updated 10.30am, 3rd April, 2021 (AEDT)Jerusalem, IsraelAP Christians in the Holy Land marked Good Friday without the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the days leading up to Easter because of the coronavirus, and worshippers in many other predominantly Christian countries where the virus is still raging observed their second annual Holy Week with tight restrictions […]