Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-04-27

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Easter messages - Patriach - Christodoulos

[02] Prison riot over

[01] Easter messages - Patriach - Christodoulos

Many of Orthodoxys top ecclesiastical leaders issued Easter messages this week, in light of the Eastern Churchs Holy Week and Easter Sunday over the weekend.

?Christ, resurrected from the dead, who became the first born of the deceased, is ready to bestow resurrection, the passage from death to life to all men who will entrust their lives in Him,? Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos said in a message.

The Patriarch emphasised that through Christs grace man is able to be saved, while he wished the Orthodox faithful the world over ?Christos Anesti?, the ancient Greek salutation meaning ?Christ has Risen.?

On his part, the head of the Autocephalus Orthodox Church of Greece, Archbishop Christodoulos, referred to the meaning and substance of Holy Easter, namely, the resurrection of Christ, saying that ?this may seem to the unbeliever or even agnostic simply as an illusion, because they hear only words, view certain unintelligible rites, interpreting them only superficially.

?For the believer, however, all of these are the true experience of a living Christ,? Christodoulos said.

Archbishop of Cyprus Chryssostomos noted on his Easter message that the ?grandiose celebration of Christs resurrection dawns hopeful, filling with joy every human heart certifying that in the midwinter of life is succeeded by spring.?

He adds: ?This joyous day of our Lords resurrection unfortunately finds our people continuing the uphill course towards Calvary. In our enslaved towns and villages the Christos Anesti will again not be heard this year?? the Cypriot Archbishop said in a direct reference to the ongoing Turkish occupation of one-third of the island republics territory.

Finally, Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania Anastasios stresses, among others, that ?today we are celebrating the elevation of Jesus Christ above everything and everyone in honoring His resurrection.?

[02] Prison riot over

A riot at Avlona juvenile prison during which an inmate was seriously injured ended at dawn Thursday, police said.

The riot broke out Wednesday after about 40 inmates, mostly Albanians and Romanians, managed to reach the prison's neutral zone and took a wardon hostage.

Some 300 inmates were involved in the rioting. During the violence, an Albanian inmate was stabbed in the thraot and taken to hospital in srious condition.

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