Photo:
AP

Pope Leo XIV marked Easter Sunday for the first time as pontiff, with the West Asia war casting a pall over the most important date in the Christian calendar. Pictured here, Pope Leo XIV presides over Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on April 5, 2026

Photo:
G. Ramakrishna

Easter, one of the most significant festivals in the Christian calendar, signifies the triumph of life over death and hope over despair. President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), Cardinal Poola Anthony, Archbishop of Hyderabad, and Priests perform a ritual during a mass prayer on Easter, at St. Mary’s Church in Secunderabad on April 5, 2026.

Photo:
G. Ramakrishna

Easter also marks the culmination of Holy Week, which commemorates the final days of Jesus Christ, including his crucifixion and resurrection.
At St Mary’s Basillica in Secunderabad, Christians enact a play depicting the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the occasion of Easter on April 5, 2026.

Photo:
AP

Speaking during an Easter Vigil on April 4, 2026, the Pontiff had called for “a new world of peace and unity” and decried the divisions created by “war, injustice and the isolation of peoples and nations”.

Photo:
AP

Worshippers hold candles during the Easter vigil Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Vilnius, Lithuania, late on April 4, 2026.

Photo:
AP

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, second from right, prepares to light the Paschal candle as worshippers attend an Easter vigil at St. James Cathedral on April 4, 2026, in Seattle.

Photo:
Reuters

In the usually lively alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City, silence reigned on Easter Sunday, with the holiday overshadowed by war and restrictions on access to the Holy Sepulchre, where the faithful commemorate Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

On routes approaching the church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, police at checkpoints screened a small number of worshippers allowed near the site.
Christian worshippers are seen walking on a street, following restrictions on gatherings in large groups, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem’s Old City on April 5, 2026.

Photo:
Kommuuri Srinivas

Across India, celebrations commenced late on Saturday (April 4, 2026) night, as people welcomed the holy day with zeal. On the occasion of Easter, Christian devotees light up the sky and streets with dazzling fireworks, celebrating with great joy and enthusiasm in front of the Jewett Memorial Baptist Church Centre in Ongole in the early hours of April 5, 2026.

Photo:
AP

Christian devotees offer prayers at a church on Easter Sunday in Jammu, on April 5, 2026.

Photo:
PTI

Devotees are seen lighting candles as they take part in mass prayer on Easter, at The Queen of the Apostles’ Church, in Patna, Bihar, late on April 4, 2026.

Photo:
J. ALLEN EGENUSE

In Karnataka, kids are seen enjoying collecting Easter eggs as part of Easter celebrations at St. Andrew’s Church in Bengaluru on April 5, 2026.

Photo:
Kommuuri Srinivas

On the occasion of the Easter festival, Christian devotees gathered in large numbers and offered prayers on April 5, 2026 at the prayer hall of Jewett Memorial Baptist Church located on the hill in Ongole.