Skopje, 5 April 2026 (MIA) — Roman Catholics are celebrating Easter Sunday, after Skopje Bishop Kiro Stojanov led the Easter Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Skopje.

The service was attended by President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, government officials and foreign diplomats. The celebration began Saturday night with the traditional blessing of the fire and the lighting of the Paschal candle.

In his Easter homily, Stojanov addressed the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and quoted Pope Leo XIV describing war as a "wound inflicted on the entire human family."

"With great longing and empathy for all who suffer, we constantly appeal to the Creator of humanity to encourage the hearts of those responsible for this violence to seek a path of transformation and establish a just peace," Stojanov said.

The bishop acknowledged that the local Catholic community is a small minority, but he urged believers to find strength in their faith in Christ and be the "bearers of light and justice" advocating for peace. 

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop," the bishop said, recalling Skopje-born Mother Teresa's words to remind the faithful that even small acts of love matter. mr/