For millions of Christians, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, known as Holy Week, is the most sacred time of the year. It’s the week Christians commemorate the passion of Jesus Christ. The Associated Press has the story:
Penitents of the “Padre Jesus Nazareno” brotherhood carry a portable dais platform which supports a statue of Jesus Christ carried by “costaleros”during the holy week procession in Priego de Cordoba, southern Spain, Friday, April 7, 2023. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)A portable dais platform which supports a statue of the Virgin Mary, is carried by “costaleros” during a procession in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 2, 2023. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Catholic devotees wave their palm fronds during rites to commemorate Palm Sunday, which marks the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, Sunday, April 2, 2023 in Manila, Philippines. More devotees have flocked to churches after COVID restrictions the past couple of years prevented many from joining traditional Palm Sunday rites as this largely Roman Catholic nation enters the observance of Holy Week. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
The week began with Palm Sunday, where mass at the Vatican was celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square the day after he was discharged from the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, where the Vatican said he was treated for bronchitis.
Christians walk in the Palm Sunday procession on the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem, Sunday, April 2, 2023. The procession observes Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem in the time leading up to his crucifixion, which Christians mark on Good Friday. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)Faithful take part in the procession of Jesus of the Great Power, at La Merced church in Granada, Nicaragua, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Inti Ocon)
In Bolivia’s highland region, artists gathered for an annual event where they built sand sculptures based on Bible stories. Members of the faithful in Brazil wore tunics and hoods to take part in the Procession of Souls in Goiás state. And in Managua, Nicaragua, a child dressed as an angel during an event observing Good Friday, during which a masked worshipper held a religious banner depicting Jesus Christ on a cross.
A view of the Palm Sunday’s mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican Sunday, April 2, 2023 a day after being discharged from the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, where he has been treated for bronchitis, The Vatican said. The Roman Catholic Church enters Holy Week, retracing the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Half a world away, Catholic nuns held candles during a Holy Thursday procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem. It’s the site where Jesus was crucified and buried according to tradition. Celebrations in Haiti included a Stations of the Cross reenactment in Port-au-Prince on Good Friday. In Spain, worshippers carried a portable dais platform supporting a statue of the Virgin Mary through the streets of Seville.
Palm bearers arrive in a procession at the start of the Palm Sunday’s mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican Sunday, April 2, 2023 a day after being discharged from the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, where he has been treated for bronchitis, The Vatican said. The Roman Catholic Church enters Holy Week, retracing the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
In recent years, Holy Week has been scaled back due to COVID-19 restrictions that require precautions such as social distancing and mask use. However, this year many of the faithful gathered in celebrations reminiscent of the era before the virus changed the nature of religious observance.
An actor portraying the part of Jesus Christ, carries the cross during the Good Friday procession in the city center of Wuppertal, Germany, Friday, April 7, 2023. Christians around the world are commemorating Good Friday, marking the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
This year’s Holy Week was a year for gathering together in prayer.
The Passion of Jesus is performed to crowds in Trafalgar Square, London, Friday, April 7, 2023 on Good Friday by actors from the Wintershall Players. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
