Members of the Spanish Legion carry a statue of "Christ of the Good Death" to Santo Domingo de Guzman Church during a Holy Week procession. 
Pope Benedict XVI leads the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome on April 5. 
Roman Catholic clergymen hold candles as they circle the Stone of Anointing during the Holy Thursday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City. 
Children take part in a procession of the Padre Jesus Nazareno brotherhood during Holy Week on Tenerife, one of Spain's Canary Islands. 
A penitent of the Perdon brotherhood walks during a Holy Week procession in Cordoba, Spain. 
Penitents of the Cofradia del Silencio (Brotherhood of Silence) wait for the start of their Holy Week procession shortly before it was canceled because of rain in Zamora, Spain. Easter week is traditionally celebrated with processions in most Spanish towns. 
A statue of "the affliction" is carried during a Holy Wednesday procession in Cali, Valle del Cauca department, Colombia. 
A penitent lies on the ground on the eve of the Good Friday re-enactments of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in San Fernando City, in Pampanga province north of Manila, Philippines. Despite the church's advice to shun the practice, devout Filipinos have themselves nailed to crosses as Asia's bastion of Catholicism marks Good Friday. 
Penitents flagellate themselves as part of a Lenten observance in Manila. 
Penitents walk up Calle Balborraz during the Holy Week procession of the Cofradia de la Virgen de la Esperanza (Brotherhood of Our Lady of Hope) in Zamora, Spain. 
Parishioners wash each others' feet during the Maundy Thursday Mass celebrating the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples at the National Cathedral in Washington on Thursday. 
Christian Arab worshipers carry a large wooden cross along the "Via Dolorosa," or the "Way of Suffering," as they enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, an ancient, sprawling shrine that Orthodox and Catholic Christians believe was built on the original site of the crucifixion. 
Penitents join a Good Friday procession in Sorrento, Italy. 
Penitents attend a Good Friday procession in Sorrento. 
A woman and child walk under the Macarena Arch in Sevilla, Spain. 
Empalaos, or "impaled ones," walk the Via Crucis, or "the way of the cross," marking the Stations of the Cross while bound by rope to a crucifix. The walk is an act of penance and honors a promise made to the Empalaos Brotherhood and the Christ of Vera Cruz in the town of Valverde de la Vera, Spain. 
A penitent of the Jesus Nazareno de Medinaceli brotherhood drags chains along the ground during the Holy Week procession Friday in Madrid, Spain. Many regions throughout Spain celebrate Easter week with religious processions. 
The Nuestra Senora de los Dolores Coronada, of the Dolores brotherhood, heads down a street during a Holy Week procession Friday in Cordoba, Spain. 
From a window, a child watches penitents of the Dolores brotherhood before a procession Friday during Holy Week. 
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama host a Passover Seder dinner for family, friends and staff in the Old Family Dining Room at the White House on Friday. 
Archbishop of York John Sentamu, left, baptizes a local churchgoer during an Easter ceremony Saturday in York, England. The baptism of adults by total immersion is a ritual signifying the death of a believer's old life and a rebirth in Christ. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus three days after his execution on the cross. 
Pope Benedict XVI holds a candle during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday at St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. 
Chinese Catholics pray as they attend an Easter service at the historic South Cathedral in Beijing on Saturday. 
- Pope Benedict XVI will speak to worshipers worldwide from the Vatican
- New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow is expected to address a crowd of thousands
- An analyst says Syrian Christians might be more fearful of celebrating openly this year
(CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI will deliver his annual Easter Mass message from the Vatican on Sunday as Christians around the world mark the holiday with a variety of celebrations.
Shortly after the pope delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and to the World") speech Sunday morning, the annual Easter sunrise service will take place at Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.
And New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, known as much for his religious devotion as his plays on the football field, is expected to address a crowd of thousands at a Celebration Church event in Georgetown, Texas.
In the Holy Week leading up to Easter, worshipers In the Philippines -- an Asian bastion of Catholicism -- celebrated Palm Sunday by blessing decorated palm leaves during Mass. Some devout Filipinos have marked Good Friday by being nailed to crosses, though the church has recommended avoiding the practice.
For Christians in countries thrown into tumult by the Arab Spring revolutions, some say Easter celebrations could prove dangerous.
In the past, Syrian Christians "have had great outpouring of piety in the public squares on Easter," said Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute in Washington. "This time, I suspect it is going to be vastly different. They are fearful."
Though the geopolitical makeup of each Arab Spring country is different, Shea and other religious freedom scholars say that a pious holiday like Easter presents an opportunity for anti-Christian groups to seek out worshipers.
Religious holidays have long been a venue for terrorist attacks against all religious groups in the Middle East and North Africa. These holidays provide not only a meaningful day to make a statement but also see large concentrations of worshipers in one area.
Last Easter, Benedict called for peace amid ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East and mentioned the plight of those in Japan recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
CNN's Dan Merica contributed to this report.
