Turkey's Orthodox Christian communities celebrate easter

Orthodox Christians across Turkey celebrated Easter on Sunday. Syriac Christian worshipers in the southern province of Hatay gathered at the Antakya Orthodox Church, where Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin joined religious leaders for breakfast in the church's garden. Ergin told church officials that the visit was made in the spirit of "fraternity and peace" between Turkey's diverse ethnic communities. Fadi Hurigil, head of the Antakya Orthodox Church Foundation, said that after the weeks of fasting that precede Easter, Sunday's celebrations are a "symbol of life renewed" and a reminder of the resurrection of Jesus, the central event of the Christian faith.