Christians’ holy day carries strain of virus

Christians in the Holy Land marked Good Friday without the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the days leading up to Easter because of the coronavirus, and worshippers in many other predominantly Christian countries where the virus is still raging observed their second annual Holy Week with tight restrictions on gatherings.

In Jerusalem, many holy sites were open, thanks to an ambitious Israeli vaccination campaign. It was a stark contrast to last year, when the city was under lockdown.

In neighbouring Lebanon, Christians observed Good Friday under a lockdown and suffering a severe economic crisis exacerbated by the massive explosion that demolished parts of the capital last year. Even traditional Easter sweets are a luxury few can afford.

In Latin America, penitents from Mexico and Guatemala to Paraguay carried branches covered with thorns and large crosses reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis presided over a torch-lit Way of the Cross ceremony in St Peter’s Square, foregoing for a second year the traditional Colosseum procession that draws thousands of pilgrims.

He prayed that God would give people his hope so that “we will be able to recognise you even in the darkest moments of our life”.

Worshippers in the Philippines and France marked the day under movement restrictions amid outbreaks fanned by more contagious strains. In the US, Christians were urged to celebrate outdoors, while social distancing, or in virtual ceremonies.

Photos / AP From top: a traditional pilgrimage in Guatemala; an archbishop carries the holy cross in Paris; Christians gather outside in Sydney; Pope Francis leads the Via Crucis outside St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.