The head of the Roman Catholic Church has focused on the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, especially Libya while the Archbishop of Canterbury has been more concerned with personal issues closer to home.
More than one hundred thousand people have queued early at St Peter's square in the Vatican city.
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After celebrating mass the leader of the Roman Catholic Church delivered his traditional Easter message, focusing on the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
“May the splendour of Christ reach the peoples of the Middle East, so that the light of peace and of human dignity may overcome the darkness of division, hate and violence,” Pope Benedict said.
His 'to the city and the world' massage also touched on the crisis in Libya. The Pontiff called for an end to violence and the start of peaceful negotiations.
“In the current conflict in Libya, may diplomacy and dialogue take the place of arms,“ the Pontiff said.
The Easter message, delivered in 65 languages, also called for respect for human rights.
Williams delivers sermon on happiness
True happiness in life comes from "personal and communal fulfillment" rather than the narrow pursuit of material goals, the Archbishop of Canterbury said.
Delivering his Easter Sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Dr Rowan Williams spoke of the joy which could be achieved by having an outward focus, fostering relationships with others and the world around them.
He spoke of politicians' pronouncements on "happiness rather than just prosperity" - a reference to the government's proposals to try to measure the nation's wellbeing.
He said: "Now it's certainly a good thing that people have publicly acknowledged that there is more to life than the level of our Gross National Product, that we're just beginning to say out loud that corporate prosperity divorced from personal and communal fulfillment or stability is an empty thing."
