Christians around the world are today celebrating Easter.
All Christians, from Orthodox and Western churches, are observing the holiday on the same day this year in a rare occurrence which sees the churches calendars align.
Easter Sunday is one of the most significant religious holidays observed by Christians worldwide, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In Lebanon, dozens of Christians attended Easter mass at a church which had almost completely been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
Pakistan saw members of the Christian minority community greeting each other after prayer as they celebrated Easter Sunday.
In Greece, the sky was filled with fireworks, while worshippers in Jerusalem lit candles at the church where Jesus Christ is said to have been crucified and buried.
And even while recovering from pneumonia, Pope Francis toured St Peter’s Square in his popemobile on Sunday after delivering his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ benediction from the central lodge of St Peter’s Basilica.
Palestinian Christians lit candles during the Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is said to be the place Jesus was crucified and is buried, in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Striking images showed people cheering while being piggy-backed around the swarmed streets as they donned t-shirts with images of Jesus Christ.
In war-torn Ukraine, worshippers came together to celebrate the holiday as they waited for a priest to bless their baskets of Easter pastries, eggs and food.
The arrival of the Easter holiday brought little respite for residents of Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine that has been a frequent target since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
A Russian missile strike on Good Friday killed at least one person and wounded dozens.
In Lebanon, shocking images showed a priest and several worshipers attending the Easter mass at the Saint George Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
The building was seen as just a pile of stones and rubble after it was almost completely destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, in the town of Derdghaya, Tyre, on April 20.
Christians in Lebanon were forced to celebrate Easter amid destruction caused by Israeli attacks.
Members of the Christian minority community in Pakistan were photographed greeting each other after prayer as they celebrated Easter Sunday at St. John’s Cathedral Church in Peshawar.
Women and men in colourful, traditional Indian suits, were seen clapping along to hymns and sitting in church with their hands clasped as a priest recited an Easter prayer.
Christians, who make up about 1.6 percent of Pakistan’s population, are the second-largest religious minority in the country after Hindus.
Elsewhere, in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, members of the Legio Maria Church gathered at Africa Church Mission to mark Easter Sunday.
Stunning photos showed nuns draped in their white robes while holding lit candles in their hands.
They were attending a Easter vigil mass at the St. Helena Parish within the informal settlement of Mathare.
In Turkey, Christians gathered at the Greek Orthodox Church in Mersin for the Easter Sunday service.
Worshippers were seen performing a candlelight vigil and lining up to sing holy songs as they celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Orthodox faithful also lit candles as they attended a Easter Sunday Mass at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul.
Christians gathered in Bethlehem, West Bank, at the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus is believed to have been born.
Dozens of people were seen gathering on Saturday night to participate in the ‘Easter Eve’ ceremony.
Pope Francis thrilled St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday as he greeted Catholic faithful who had gathered to see him during his pneumonia recovery.
The 88-year-old pontiff delivered his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ benediction from a balcony overlooking the square following mass to mark the holiday.
Images showed Francis in traditional white robes on the central lodge of St Peter’s Basilica as he waved to the eager crowds.
Masses of faithful gathered Sunday under hazy skies in the sprawling plaza decorated with brightly-coloured tulips, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Jesuit pope as it had not been confirmed he would be making an appearance.
Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill led the Orthodox Easter service as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stood near at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.
Young women were photographed holding candles while attending the event which saw the presence of the president.
Christians also attended Easter mass at the St. Joseph Church in Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday.
And in Greece, fiery streaks of handmade rockets lit up the night sky over the village of Vrontados on the island of Chios, as two rival congregations engaged in the traditional ‘rocket war’ to celebrate Easter on April 20.
Thousands of fireworks were launched between Saint Markos and Panagia Erithiani churches, turning the solemn resurrection night into a dazzling spectacle of light and sound.
This morning, images emerged showing traditional Greek Easter lambs that were slaughtered the evening before as they roll on a skewer and wait for customers in a village high above the city of Volos.