JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) — Christians are commemorating Jesus' crucifixion in a world locked down by the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid widespread restrictions on public gatherings, many churches are holding virtual services where members can watch on TV or online. Others are arranging prayer at drive-in theaters, where people can stay in their cars.
Other churches plan to move ahead with services, especially in states like Texas, where the governor declared religious gatherings “essential services.” A Houston church has installed hand-washing stations and rearranged its 1,000-person sanctuary to hold about 100 people spaced 6 feet (2 meters) or more apart.
A small group of clerics are to hold a closed-door service in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, built on the site where it is believed Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. They will then walk the Via Dolorosa, the ancient route where he is believed to have carried the cross before his execution at the hands of the Romans.
In ordinary times, tens of thousands of pilgrims from around the world retrace Jesus' steps in the week leading up to Easter. But this year, flights are grounded and sites in the Holy Land are closed as authorities try to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The new virus causes mild to moderate symptoms in most patients, who recover within a few weeks. But it is highly contagious and can be spread by those showing no symptoms. It can cause severe illness and death in some patients, particularly the old and infirm.
In Rome, the torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum is a highlight of Holy Week, drawing large crowds of pilgrims, tourists and locals. It's been cancelled this year, along with all other public gatherings in Italy, which is battling one of the worst outbreaks.
The virus has killed nearly 18,000 people in Italy and over 88,000 worldwide.
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, nearly destroyed by fire a year ago, is holding a special Good Friday ceremony in the charred, gutted interior of the medieval landmark. But the event is closed to the public for two reasons: France’s strict virus confinement measures forbid religious or any other gatherings, and the cathedral remains too structurally unstable to let parishioners inside.
“We wanted to send a message of hope” through the ceremony, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit told reporters this week.
“The message of hope is especially important for our compatriots at a time when we are particularly affected by the coronavirus,” he said.