On Easter, as thousands of Salvadorans from around the country packed into the rural town of Lolotique, Catholic Church officials laid to rest a 36-year-old priest violently killed during Holy Week – the latest victim of an unending wave of violence that plagues the country.
Four members of a Catholic family were killed in a militant attack in southern Pakistan a day after the minority community celebrated Easter.
A pair of passion plays were interrupted by gunfire on Good Friday as the violence convulsing Mexico continued claiming lives through the Holy Week holidays.
Easter makes it clear that in the life of Jesus, but also in the lives of modern men and women, “death, solitude and fear” do not have the last word, Pope Francis said before giving his Easter blessing.
There will be no Holy Week observance this year in Marawi almost a year after extremist gunmen occupied the southern Philippine city.
Young people want to know they are valued members of the Catholic Church and that their questions and struggles are taken seriously enough that someone will spend time with them discussing issues rather than simply repeating “prefabricated” responses, said delegates to a meeting in Rome.
During this year dedicated to the younger generations, Pope Francis asked that the meditations for his Good Friday service be written by young people.
While the United Nations has a stated commitment to protecting and promoting the lives of those with Down Syndrome, the Holy See believes some in the international community are abetting what one Washington Post columnist recently termed a “genocide” against such individuals.
Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass with thousands of young people, Pope Francis urged them to continue singing and shouting “hosanna” in the world, proclaiming the lordship of Jesus and following his example of outreach to the poor and suffering.
De La Salle Christian Brother Javier Hansen, a youth delegate from the United States participating in the Vatican’s pre-synod meeting, walks in procession at the start of Pope Francis’ celebration of Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
