Pope Francis on Easter Sunday called for solidarity the world over to confront the “epochal challenge” posed by the coronavirus pandemic, as Christians celebrated a solitary Easter Sunday.
Families that normally would attend morning Mass wearing their Easter best and later join friends for celebration stayed at home to watch Easter services online.
Across Africa, many Christians marked Easter at home, following services broadcast on television and radio. In Nigeria, a Catholic Mass was celebrated in Lagos empty cathedral, while Congo braced for a battle with both COVID-19 and an ongoing Ebola outbreak.
At the Vatican, Francis celebrated Mass in a largely empty St. Peter’s Basilica, with a handful of faithful sitting one per pew and and the choir’s “Kyrie” hymn echoing off the bare marble floors.
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