Iqaluit Easter sermons to reflect on Resurrection, not politics

Christian clergy in Iqaluit say the biblical story of the Resurrection of Jesus will be the focus over Easter this weekend — unlike the strong anti-war message Pope Leo delivered last weekend on Palm Sunday.

In his address in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the Pope said God “rejects war.”

“He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying, ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood,’” he said.

Although Pope Leo did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump by name, his message was widely construed as criticism of the world leader, who since coming into power in January 2025 has threatened Canada and Greenland’s sovereignty, waged economic war through tariffs, kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, directed an ongoing oil blockade against Cuba, and ignited a war against Iran in co-ordination with Israel.

In Iqaluit, Rev. Barry Bercier of Our Lady of Assumption Roman Catholic Church said he plans to speak about peace this weekend, but not in relation to any specific conflict in the world.

“It’s about the kind of peace, as the scripture says, that the world cannot give,” he said. “The focus is not in any way partisan or political — it’s trans-political.”

He said his congregation will reflect on the meaning of the Resurrection, in which the Bible says Jesus rose from the dead three days after he was crucified and ascended to heaven.

Attendance at the church, located on Niaqunngusiariaq Road across from the curling club, swells to capacity during Easter. On Palm Sunday last weekend, it was standing room only as 200 parishioners attended.

“It’s an enthusiastic parish,” Bercier said.

The church’s Easter weekend services are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, 3 p.m. on Good Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Easter Sunday mass begins at 10 a.m.

Volunteers at Iqaluit Pentecostal Church at the corner of Fred Coman Street and Queen Elizabeth Way will set out 50 chairs ahead of Sunday’s 11 a.m. sermon by Pastor Wayne Moore, who has led the church for three decades.

“I would imagine that Sunday morning we’ll have a big crowd,” he said in a phone interview.

“We gather together and we sing. We have a worship team that leads us in worship and praises.”

Moore will invite parishioners to reflect on what the world might be like “had Jesus not resurrected from the dead.”

Representatives from St. Jude’s Anglican Cathedral were not available Thursday. The cathedral’s English-language Sunday services are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and Inuktitut services follow at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

“The message of Easter is far more important than any political or human message,” said Bishop Alexander Pryor, the Yellowknife-based head of the Anglican Diocese of the Arctic, in a phone interview Wednesday.

“The message of Easter is the universal message of the church.”