ATHENS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Greece is reborn through difficulties and turning into a new country of pride, justice and development, said Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Sunday in his Easter message.

As Greek Orthodox Christians across the debt-ridden country celebrated the Resurrection of Christ, Papandreou, who spent the holiday with his family on the small island of Hydra near Athens, voiced optimism over the prospects for the ailing Greek economy and Greece.

The Greek premier will return to Athens on Monday to focus on the next package of measures to tackle a debt crisis which last spring led the country to the brink of default.

Greek authorities are on alert to facilitate the safe return of hundreds of thousands of commuters back to the urban centers by Tuesday, as the island of Rhodes in the Eastern Aegean Sea mourns the death of two men, aged 30 and 39 respectively, from homemade Easter fireworks.

A seven-year-old boy is hospitalized in critical condition in Athens after a similar fireworks accident in Evoia, near Athens.