Faithful Christians marked Easter on Sunday around the world to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter is considered the most important party in the liturgical Christian calendar. This year, in rare event, the holidays fell the same day for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, for the first time since 2017.
Easter has been affectionately welcomed in Europe, many capital adults organizing events and festivals to mark the happy religious opportunity.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people on Saint-Pierre square and offer them to a surprise popemobile tour through piazza.
The unexpected observation of the pontiff which fought against a double complex pneumonia, leading to weeks of hospitalization, attracted applause and applause of spectators.
He stopped occasionally to bless the babies who were raised to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago while Francis, 88, fought for his life.
“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Said Francis, his voice sounding stronger than she has done since his hospitalization.
In France, the emblematic Parisian cathedral of Notre-Dame organized its first Ecumenic Easter celebration on Sunday since its 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, causing its complete destruction almost.
Chaired by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich de Paris, the rally brought together leaders and faithful from various Christian confessions for a shared moment of prayer, unity and reflection under the newly restored Gothic vaults of the secular cathedral.
The holidays were also celebrated in the United Kingdom. King Charles III and Queen Camilla received a small position of flowers by two young children as dean of the St. George chapel on the left Sunday morning after attending the Easter service.
The royal couple was joined as soon as possible to the service by Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, Anne, the royal princess and Princess Beatrice with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
And further east of the continent, celebrations also took place in Istanbul. The ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, led the city's Easter service 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 put pressure for a permanent common Easter date, despite the persistent distrust between confessions.
ADVERTISEMENTThe differences in traditions of tradition and calendar – Julian against Gregorian – have long kept the dates of Easter. The efforts to the unit, supported by the World Ceuria Council, aim to fill the divisions.
Some regions, such as Greece and Finland, are already celebrating Easter together, offering an example of cooperation.
The idea of a common Easter has been discussed since the 1960s, with an interest which often reached a peak when the celebrations coincide. The key obstacle has always been the involvement that one side should concede.
