Ljubljana Archbishop Stanislav Zore said in his sermon that celebrating Easter only makes sense if one believes in the resurrection.

Otherwise "Easter is bereft of its content", he said, speaking of the roots of Christianity and the victory of life and love over death.

The archbishop moreover spoke in this context of the need to secure proper burial or remembrance sites for those who have not received them so that their loved ones will have a place where they can grieve.

Celje Bishop Stanislav Lipovšek, who is still the caretaker of the Maribor Archdiocese, focused on hope in his sermon in Celje, saying Easter brought the message that "all the distress and uncertainty of the present times are not the final word".

He also sees better times ahead for the Maribor Archdiocese, where Alojz Cvikl will take over on 26 April.

In Novo mesto, head the Slovenian Bishops' Conference Bishop Andrej Glavan said that although Easter brought life, some people are not interested in life any more or even attracted by death.

He pointed to the falling birth rate, to suicide and "the celebrating of sterile sexual liberty without a will to truly give life".

Meanwhile Geza Filo, the leader of the Slovenian Evangelical and Lutheran Church, addressed believers in the Primož Trubar Church in Ljubljana, saying the idea of Easter was also to change them and to find faith and trust in Jesus's "victory over sin and death".