Christians celebrate Easter

Processions in Guatemala and across the world mark Easter

Christians around the world are celebrating Easter with many waiting for the Pope's traditional message of hope and peace from the Vatican.

Easter Sunday will see the Pontiff conduct mass for thousands of people amassed in the Vatican City's St Peter's Square.

The service and accompanying speech, known as the "Urbi et Orbi" is conducted in many different languages.

On Saturday night Pope John Paul baptised nine people who had converted to Catholicism as he led an Easter vigil service in St Peter's Basilica.

The vigil marks the time between Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

The Pope conducts mass for thousands on Easter Sunday

It began with the 77-year-old Pope carrying a single candle, leading a procession through St Peter's Basilica which had been lit with thousands more candles.

The converts chosen for the Pope's personal blessing included four people from China, a move widely interpreted as criticism of the Chinese Government's opposition to full religious freedom.

On Friday the Pope led the traditional Stations of the Cross procession through Rome with symbolises Christ's journey to his crucifixion.

Easter is also a time for fun

The procession ended at the ruins of the Colloseum where the Romans had put thousands of Christians to death.

The Pope, who had carried a cross for some of the way before exchanging it for his walking stick, delivered a sermon written by an Eastern Orthodox theologian reflecting on the role of women in the Holy Week.

Calls for reconciliation

While Christians are turning out in their thousands at the Vatican City for the Pope's mass, many eyes, including those in the Holy See, will be focused on Northern Ireland.

Pope John Paul has long appealed for an end to violence and religious bigotry in the province.

The Vatican, choosing to make its statement as it marked the culmination of Holy Week, hailed the political settlement between Northern Ireland's divided communities as an accord "honouring all of Europe".

Vatican support for any settlement is critical to Northern Ireland where political and sectarian differences have been born out of the divide in the Church.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican's Secretary of State, publically praised the agreement on Italian state television, saying: "We give thanks for the peace in Northern Ireland, which honours our Europe".

Both Protestant and Catholic ministers in the province will be using their Easter Sunday services to urge the divided communities to accept the peace settlement.

Political leaders in the province are hoping to gain the maximum possible benefit out of the fact that the deal was struck in Holy Week, a time of reflection and forgiveness.