Ukraine gifts the Pope with Easter breads and lamb cakes

Easter cakes with paschal lambs. Photo: Facebook

On April 2, 2026, representatives of Ukraine’s embassy to the Holy See delivered Easter kulichi from Lviv to the Vatican. Ambassador Andrii Yurash and his wife, Diana, congratulated Pope Leo XIV and members of the Holy See staff on the approaching Feast of the Lord’s Resurrection. In 2026, the Catholic world celebrates Easter on April 5.

Diana Yurash, the ambassador’s wife, described the gift as a presentation of Ukraine’s spiritual culture and tradition. The gesture became one of the first Easter greetings offered to Pope Leo XIV after his election to the papal throne in May 2025.

The festive breads were made by artisans according to a classic recipe with candied fruit and vanilla. The kulichi were decorated with baked figures of birds and doves. The diplomats also added Easter lamb figurines to the праздничная basket, describing them as traditional in Western Ukraine. Diana Yurash explained that these symbols of innocence and purity signify the triumph of life over death.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Pope had congratulated the new Archbishopess of England on taking office.

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