The faithful came to Easter Sunday mass in Malawi's capital Lilongwe with Bibles in one hand and newspapers in the other, to read about their new president Joyce Banda and pray for the rebirth of a dying economy.
A policeman's daughter and women's rights activist, Banda was sworn in as the small southern African country's new president on Saturday to succeed Bingu wa Mutharika, who died on Thursday and was widely blamed for the economic collapse.
In the former British colony, one of the world's poorest states where about 80 percent of the population is Christian, the Church had been a focal point in opposition to former World Bank economist Mutharika, who had ignored calls at home and abroad to change flawed economic policies.
His antagonistic relations with western donors such as Britain and the United States which bankrolled about 40 percent of the budget led to the freezing of millions of dollars of aid, punching an enormous hole in the impoverished nation's finances.
Mutharika's disastrous economic tutelage had led to crippling foreign exchange and fuel shortages. Churches were packed in the capital Lilongwe on Sunday partly because many could not afford a ride back to their villages at Easter in the few mini-buses that had petrol. In rural areas where Internet connection is sparse, computers rare and electricity flows intermittent, the Church provides a meeting place where communities gather and discuss local events.