Persevering in Hope: Holy Week and Easter message of the Archbishops of Armagh

Archbishop John McDowell and Archbishop Eamon Martin during their 'Pilgrimage of Hope' to New York & Washington for St Patrick's Day 2025 (Catholic Communications Office archive)

Tomorrow, Palm Sunday, the Christian community in Ireland, and around the world, will celebrate Holy Week which culminates on Easter Sunday. Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland shared the following message today:

In his gospel account of the resurrection, the evangelist Saint Luke tells us it was very early in the morning 'at the first sign of dawn' when the women discovered that the stone had been rolled way from the tomb of Jesus. Although they had left home in darkness and grief, by sunrise the women were witnessing with joy to the resurrection, and sharing the Good News, "Christòs anésti, Christ is risen!"

The recent warm spell has brought out the best in springtime and helped to raise our spirits in time for Easter. To see the trees bursting into life and the green shoots of spring flowers everywhere lifts our hearts, and reminds us of the promise and hope of new life after the dark sleep of winter.

Of course, even in the midst of Spring, it is difficult to escape the reality that the world is currently experiencing a high level of instability and uncertainty. The darkness of war and violence continues to rage; countless families are displaced, and lasting peace seems elusive as more and more countries divert resources from welfare to warfare.

The journey to Calvary is a path that people everywhere are walking this Holy Week. However the knowledge that Jesus Christ walked that path before us, and continues to walk that path today, is central to the message of Holy Week and Easter. Whatever cross we carry, we do so with the strength of God upholding us; with Jesus by our side, we can truly overcome even the heaviest cross, the darkest situation.

During our recent Saint Patrick's Day visits to the United States, we were honoured to speak together at a 'Faith and Law' event for Congress Members and staff on Capitol Hill in Washington. We were asked to reflect on the impact of faith on the peace process here in the years that have followed the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. This opportunity allowed us to emphasise once again the importance of not giving up on hope, and of maintaining a strong Christian voice in the public square. We stressed the need to persevere along the road to deeper friendship, respect, tolerance and dialogue.

Perhaps strangely, we were heartened by the fact that so many of the young adults we met on Capitol Hill had little knowledge of our "troubles"; it reminded us both of how far our communities have come in terms of moving away from the darkness of violence, death and destruction. The ongoing process towards a true and lasting peace here is offering renewed hope to our young people, many of whom have no recollection of the darkness of the past. Still, the work of peace-building is unfinished and there remains much to do.

Inspired by Easter Hope, Saint Paul once wrote to the Romans: "Our sufferings bring patience, as we know, and patience brings perseverance, and perseverance brings hope. And this hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).

As Easter people, both here on the island of Ireland and around the world, we must continue to welcome the 'dawn moments', and nurture the green shoots of reconciliation and peace.

This year Christians everywhere are marking the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Despite long lasting tensions and divisions at that time between Christians of different traditions, the Council was able to find agreement on a common 'Creed', or statement of belief. They chose to begin that Creed by using for the first time the expression "We believe", as a sign that all the Churches had found communion.

The anniversary of Nicaea is a reminder to all of us to persevere with Hope along the path to greater understanding and reconciliation. Interestingly, the Council of Nicaea also discussed the date of Easter - an issue that has sadly continued to prevent Christians in the West and in the East from celebrating Christ's resurrection on the same day. But coincidentally, or perhaps providentially, this year, Easter falls on a common date - 20 April - from East to West.

Persevering in Hope, in 2025 we can all truly acclaim together, "Christòs anésti, Christ is risen!"