Orthodox Easter

Orthodox Easter messages delivered by two senior clerics in North Macedonia and Serbia have sparked criticism, with Metropolitan Petar of the Prespa-Pelagonija eparchy of the Macedonian Orthodox Church causing particular outrage with his suggestion that gender equality is "blasphemous" and a "poisonous and perverted ideology" that threatens society.

Worshipers carry the Epitaph in the sea, while others light flares, during the Holy Friday celebrations of Orthodox Easter at the Tolo beach, eastern Peloponnese, in Greece, on April 14, 2023. Orthodox Easter is celebrated this year on April 16. [Vangelis Bougiotis/EPA]

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday said there would be no relaxation of curfew rules in Serbia over Orthodox Easter this weekend - after the Church asked for the weekend curfew to be lifted on Sunday from 5am to 10am to let believers leave home and attend churches for the liturgy.

Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej and bishops wished all believers a happy upcoming Orthodox Easter holiday.

Serbia's majority Orthodox Christians will celebrate the holiday on Sunday, May 1.

The card payments of Bulgarians abroad around the Orthodox Easter, which was celebrated between April 9 and 13, recorded a 21 % increase compared to the same holiday period last year.

This was announced by the representation of Visa Europe in Bulgaria, daily Dnevnik reports.

The earlier-than-usual start to the tourism season ? thanks to Orthodox Easter falling in the first half of April ? helped the labor market to post a slight recovery last month, with the Labor Ministry?s Ergani hiring register showed a net rise of 22,313 jobs in March.

The Greek bourse reopened on Tuesday after the four-day Orthodox Easter break and posted significant losses at the end of the session as the uncertainty over the negotiations between Athens and its creditors and the storm of scenarios regarding a Greek default created concern among investors regarding the future of the economy.

Government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis on Tuesday afternoon first announced that the leftist Greek government intended to issue "travel documents" to Syrian refugees that have requested asylum in Greece, in the wake of a massive influx of irregular migrants over the last three months onto several Greek islands.

By David Goodman

Greece?s bonds dropped, with yields on the country?s 2017 notes rising the most in two months, as negotiations over the future of its financing stoked concerns of renewed turmoil in the nation.

Greek government officials are returning to work on Tuesday after the Orthodox Easter break to face the daily grind of negotiations to unlock financing and keep the country afloat.