Easter Archives

Romanian port city marks Easter late due to virus

May 28, 2020

Stretching the church calendar, Orthodox Easter arrived over a month late in a Romanian city on the shores of the Black Sea.

By Vadim Ghirda

A year after Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, recovery still a work in progress

Apr 22, 2020

On the one-year anniversary of the bloody Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, the nation shared in a moment of silence to honor the nearly 300 people who died as government investigations continue and victims continue struggling to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.

By Elise Ann Allen

Eastern Christians mark Easter in shuttered Jerusalem church

Apr 19, 2020

A handful of Eastern Orthodox priests held mass for the Christian holiday of Easter on Sunday in an empty Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem due to restrictions in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

By Associated Press

Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter

Apr 17, 2020

For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection and mourning followed by joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter — by far the most significant religious holiday for the world’s roughly 300 million Orthodox — has essentially been cancelled.

By Elena Becatoros and Daria Litvinova

Silence over Easter police raids captures ‘through the looking glass’ moment

Apr 16, 2020

Up and down Italy over the Easter weekend, police entered churches and broke up services, issuing citations and fines to those taking part, in several instances including the parish priest. Yet not only has there been no howl of protest from the country’s Catholic leadership, almost uniformly bishops have sided with the authorities.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Sydney archbishop uses parents’ response to death to show Easter meaning

Apr 14, 2020

The recent response of two parents to the deaths of three of their children and a niece illustrated what Easter is about, said Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher.

By Peter Rosengren