Easter is a time of rebirth in many religions with stories of death and life, but all we see in the world at the moment are deaths. Even Jerusalem, a holy city for many religions, is at present the site of violence and unrest when it should be full of people celebrating their faith or children eating too much chocolate.

Maybe it's time for the faithful to pray for peace and for the rest to protest, write letters to politicians and for governments to condemn acts of war and unite to find a way for peace to prosper. Peace in our time. A remote possibility or as imaginary as the Easter bunny? It is a test for all of humanity.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia