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11-04-2026 
EASTER MESSAGE
OF METROPOLITAN MARK OF KORSUN
AND WESTERN EUROPE,
PATRIARCHAL EXARCH OF WESTERN EUROPE
Christ is Risen!
Dear brothers and sisters, I greet you with the traditional Paschal salutation, expressing our rejoicing in the Resurrection of the Saviour.
The Pascha of Christ brings to a close the period of the Holy Great Forty Days, established in imitation of the forty-day fast of our Saviour. After His Baptism, the Lord Jesus Christ withdrew into the wilderness to confront the powers of darkness. Having overcome every temptation, Christ gave us an example of how we should resist the invisible enemy.
The life of each one of us is also bound up with overcoming difficulties; it is full of struggle and drama. During the days of Great Lent, we repeatedly heard in the prayers that we must become victors over sin. Yet our intentions often collided with harsh reality, and instead of overcoming sin, we yielded to it. Christ came to earth precisely to help us overcome sin.
The New Covenant of Christ the Saviour was established for the forgiveness of the sins of humanity – a forgiveness purchased at the price of the life of the God-Man.
Great Lent has ended, and the week of the Lord’s Passion is complete. The Orthodox world now greets the Pascha of Christ. Saint John Chrysostom calls all of us to join the Paschal celebration – those who fasted and struggled against sin, those who fasted poorly, and even those who did not fast at all – to join for the sake of the greatness of the Feast.
Let us open our hearts to the joyful news of the Resurrection of the Saviour. Let us strive to cast out from our souls all that is dark and gloomy. May the light of Christ’s Resurrection illumine our hearts and fill them with joy and meaning.
Truly Christ is Risen!
Paris
Pascha 2026