- Pope Francis's Easter Message 'Urbi et Orbi' (To the City and the World): full text, link to video (Vatican Press Office)
“Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter!”, Pope Francis said from the loggia of the blessings (central balcony) of St. Peter’s Basilica (video). “Today the Church renews the proclamation made by the first disciples: ‘Jesus is risen!’ And from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart, there resounds a call to praise: ‘Alleluia, Alleluia!’” ... - Venezuela's Maduro pays tribute to 'rebel Christ' as cardinal urges him to welcome US humanitarian aid (Breitbart)
On Good Friday, Venezuela’s Socialist strongman tweeted, “The rebel Christ who never bowed to the Roman Empire and who gave his life for our salvation, in his teachings we get the strength to continue building a prosperous Venezuela.” - Tensions remain high in Sri Lanka (CNA)
Christians in Sri Lanka remain tense in the aftermath of the Easter bombings. At one Catholic church, police specialists performed a “controlled explosion” of a suspicious package. - Pope Francis celebrates Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square (YouTube (Vatican News))
After celebrating the Easter Vigil Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica the night before, Pope Francis celebrated an outdoor Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square (booklet). The Pope did not preach a homily, but instead invited those in attendance to silent reflection after the Gospel. - In Pakistan, state schools are a harsh environment for Christians (Aid to the Church in Need)
Pakistan (map) is the world’s sixth most populous nation (208 million). The South Asian nation’s official religion is Islam, and over 96% of Pakistanis are Muslim. - As number of dead and wounded rises, Sri Lankan authorities declare a curfew (AsiaNews)
At least 228 people were killed, and 470 wounded, in terrorist attacks on three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith condemned the attacks as “bestial and inhuman.” Buddhism is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 22.6 million (map). Sri Lanka is 70% Buddhist, 13% Hindu, 10% Muslim, and 6% Catholic. - Pope Francis: Easter Vigil Mass homily (full text) (Vatican News)
“The women bring spices to the tomb, but they fear that their journey is in vain, since a large stone bars the entrance to the sepulcher,” Pope Francis preached at the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica (video, booklet). “The journey of those women is also our own journey; it resembles the journey of salvation that we have made this evening...” - Dublin's archbishop sees Church 'imprisoned in its past' (Irish Times)
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin told an interviewer that the Church in Ireland is “imprisoned in its past,” living in “a culture that doesn’t respond any more to the realities.” The archbishop, who will be 75 next year, declined to speculate on whether his resignation would be accepted promptly, but noted that his predecessor, Cardinal Desmond Connell, had remained in office for three years after his 75th birthday, and “I think it wasn’t a good thing.” - Sri Lanka declares day of mourning; 24 arrested for questioning (AsiaNews)
Officials in Sri Lanka have arrested 24 people for questioning in connection with the Easter Sunday bombings. The government has declared that April 23 will be a national day of mourning. - Bishop deplores killing of journalist in Northern Ireland rioting (Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference)
The “New IRA,” which rejects the Good Friday Agreement (1998), is suspected in the death of the journalist. - 2 months after papal visit, AsiaNews editor examines situation of Christians in Abu Dhabi (AsiaNews)
Islam is the official religion of the Arabian Peninsula nation of 6.1 million (map); 76% of its residents are Muslim, and 9% are Christian. During his February 2019 apostolic journey there, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar signed a landmark document, “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” - Sri Lankan cardinal condemns bombings (Fides)
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo denounced “to the utmost of my capacity” the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka. The death toll is now approaching 200, with hundreds more seriously wounded by the blasts. - Pope Francis's Via Crucis at the Colosseum: full text of meditations (Vatican Press Office)
On Good Friday evening, Pope Francis presided at the Via Crucis at the Colosseum (video, Italian and Latin booklet). The meditations were written by Sister Eugenia Bonetti, a Consolata missionary sister who is president of the Slaves No More association. - Cambodia's small Church announces 294 baptisms on Easter night (AsiaNews)
Buddhism is the official religion of the Southeast Asian nation of 16.4 million (map). 97% of Cambodians are Buddhist, and 2% are Muslim. - Pope Francis laments Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka (Vatican News)
Pope Francis made an apostolic journey to the South Asian nation in 2015. Other prelates, including the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, also condemned the attacks and offered prayers for the victims. - Good Friday at St. Peter's Basilica: 'He was despised and rejected by men' (Cantalamessa.org)
Pope Francis presided at the Good Friday liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica (video, booklet). Capuchin Franciscan Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the papal household since 1980, preached the homily. - LA archdiocese pays $8 million to single abuse victim (NPR)
The Los Angeles archdiocese has agreed to a record $8 million payment to settle a lawsuit brought by a woman who was sexually abused as a teenager by a high-school athletic director. The archdiocese—which has now paid out nearly $750 million in abuse settlements—was sued because the parochial school had received multiple earlier complaints about the athletic director, who is now serving a prison term. - Decades of neglect threatened Notre-Dame, well before it burned (Wall Street Journal)
“The flying buttresses that sustain its massive limestone walls were weakening,” according to the report. “The spire, a fixture on the Paris skyline for nearly two centuries, was taking on water and rotting from the inside out.” - Pope washes inmates' feet at Holy Thursday Evening Mass (Vatican News)
Pope Francis celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (video) at the prison in Velletri, a town on the outskirts of Rome. “This is Jesus’ rule and the rule of the Gospel: the rule of service, not of dominating, of harming, of humiliating others,” the Pope preached in his extemporaneous homily. “Service!” - British priest arrested in arms fair protest (ICN)
Father Martin Newell’s superior in the Passionist Order said, “We offer our support to Martin in his act of conscience and witness. As Catholics, Christians and Passionists, we are called to solidarity with all those who are suffering, all victims of violence and injustice. His willingness to suffer by going to prison for his commitment is a sign of hope and inspiration for us.”