Christians across Nigeria and the world are marking Palm Sunday, signalling the beginning of the Holy Week.
The day symbolises the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem where he triumphantly rode on a donkey a week before his resurrection. The event is recounted in each of the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Many Christian faithful made small crosses from palms to celebrate the day and some churches also held processions, reenacting Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.
The palm branches, for most Christians, signify goodness and victory. Palm Sunday is the last week of the Lent season that precedes Easter.
In several churches in the country, messages were centred on the lessons from the event. In his message, Pope Francis called for an Easter truce in Ukraine to pave the way for peace through “real negotiations”.
“May an Easter ceasefire begin but not to reload arms and resume combat. No. A ceasefire to arrive at peace through real negotiations,” he told a public mass at Saint Peter’s Square.
“Let the Easter truce begin. But not to provide more weapons and pick up the combat again — no! — a truce that will lead to peace, through real negotiation.”
The pontiff denounced a war where “defenceless civilians” suffered “heinous massacres and atrocious cruelty”.
“What victory is there in planting a flag on a pile of rubble?” he asked.
He has also expressed his willingness to contribute to halting the fighting in Ukraine and said he would be ready to travel to Kyiv.
Russia has denied responsibility for the apparent killings of civilians in Bucha, accusing Ukraine of staging them. Moscow has not provided any evidence to back up its claim.
