Christians celebrate Easter across conflict-torn Mideast

The limestone and marble structure stands at the centre of the church — a 12th-century building standing on 4th-century remains. The shrine needed urgent attention after years of exposure to water, humidity and candle smoke.

A service was also held in West Bank city of Bethlehem, in the Church of Nativity, the place where Christian tradition says Jesus was born.

Egypt’s Coptic Christians meanwhile marked a sombre Easter a week after twin bombings by the Islamic State group killed dozens of worshippers at churches in two separate cities.

Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II presided over Easter Mass late Saturday at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo, with several government ministers in attendance.

Tawadros had earlier announced during his Good Friday sermon that, as mourning for the attack victims was ongoing, the celebratory aspects of Easter would be cancelled this year, including the Easter morning reception.

Last Sunday, a suicide bomber was able to make his way to the front rows of a church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta before blowing himself up. In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, another attacker detonated his suicide vest at the church gate’s metal detector after being stopped by guards.

The Islamic State group claimed the bombings.

Many of Iraq’s Christians observed the holiday in camps for the displaced after fleeing IS and the ongoing operation to drive the militants from Mosul, the country’s second largest city. A number of Christian villages around Mosul have been retaken from the extremists since U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launched the operation in October, but few residents have returned.

Pakistan’s tiny Christian minority celebrated Easter amid high security after last year’s celebrations were marred by a suicide bombing that killed more than 70 people.

The bomber had struck in a public park in Lahore that was packed with Christians as well as Muslims. The attack was claimed by a breakaway Taliban faction.

Pakistani security forces said Saturday that they had foiled a “major terror attack” against Christians when they killed a militant and detained another in Lahore hours after Christians marked Good Friday.

Zubaida Amanat, who lost her 21-year-old son in last year’s bombing, said the violence had transformed what should have been a joyous holiday into an annual reminder of her grief.

“I just want this terrorism to end,” she said. “All I can hope is that no other mothers go through the pain I did.”

The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Christians celebrate Easter across conflict-torn Mideast

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