This weekend we celebrate the most important day of the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday.

Christians around the world will commemorate and celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and reflect on the means of salvation for the world.

In Australia, for all the challenges and threats to people of faith, we remain blessed to live in a country where we can observe and celebrate days like Easter and Christmas without any fear of violence or repression.

Indeed, we even get the Easter long weekend to spend time with our families and our faith communities, something which is seen as so important that even our political leaders have hit pause on the national election campaign for this holiday.

While our country has increasingly secularised, that the Easter weekend remains set aside is something we should not take for granted.

In the United States, the White House is planning large Easter celebrations through the new White House Faith Office, and President Trump himself proclaimed Christ is Risen in a recent social media post.

These declarations of the Easter message are welcome.

But for many Christians around the world, such open expression of faith can be dangerous or fatal.

Globally, millions of Christians continue to suffer violence and persecution for their faith. Just last week in Nigeria, 40 Christians were murdered in religious based violence, and in Pakistan, concern over the treatment of Christians is rising.

In Nicaragua, the Government is stepping up efforts to shut down Catholic Lent and Easter celebrations, having already exiled many religious leaders.

HRLA works to defend religious freedom so that all Australians can continue to practice their faith in peace and safety, knowing that such freedoms are not guaranteed.

So this Easter we celebrate God’s mercy and salvation, we pray for Christians around the world, and remain grateful for the blessings we enjoy.