VATICAN CITY (AP) – The most joyful feast of Christianity was celebrated around the world with the faithful spaced on benches and singing “Hallelujah” choirs through facial coverings on a second Easter Sunday marked by pandemic precautions.
From vast Roman Catholic cathedrals to Protestant churches, the faithful followed coronavirus regulations. In some European countries, citizens lined up at Easter to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
In the Italian region of Lombardy, where the pandemic broke out for the first time in the West, a hospital offered a traditional dove-shaped Easter cake, symbolizing peace for every person waiting to be vaccinated. Many who attended were in their 80s.
A football team in Lyon, France, opened its stadium as a vaccination center for the extended holiday. About 9,000 people were expected to receive their vaccines for three days, while the French government tried to speed up vaccinations amid a new outbreak of infections.
In the Holy Land, travel restrictions and quarantine regulations prevented foreign pilgrims from going to religious sites in Jerusalem during Holy Week, which culminates in Easter celebrations. Pope Francis regretted that the pandemic prevented some religious from attending services.
In St. Peter’s Basilica, the nearly 200 faithful authorized to attend seemed lost in the cavernous cathedral. Typically, thousands would be at Mass celebrated by Francis, and more than 100.00 would sometimes gather outside St. Peter’s Square to receive their Easter blessing later.
But this year, as in 2020, crowds are prohibited from gathering in Italy and the Vatican. Francis delivered his Easter noon speech on world affairs from inside the basilica, taking the opportunity to appeal again for vaccines to reach the poorest countries.
The pontiff looked tired when he noticed that pandemic measures affected the traditions of religious holidays and prevented some worshipers from public worship.
“We pray that these restrictions, as well as all restrictions on freedom of worship and religion around the world, will be lifted and everyone can pray and praise God freely,” said Francis.
In Syria, where a national vaccination program has not yet started, churchgoers in Senhora da Damascus prayed for an exit from the economic and political crisis, which only worsened with the pandemic.
“We came to church for Easter to get rid of the pandemic in which we live,” said Bassam Assaf. “Of course, we are not afraid of the coronavirus. It is the reality we face, but it cannot prevent us from coming and praying to God to get us out of this trial and help the world. “
A religious service at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem was celebrated by the senior Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land. This is the place where many Christians believe that Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. Israel’s successful vaccination campaign has allowed many places to reopen, including religious sites.
The pandemic prevented the Brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection of Seville from sending its ornate Easter float, with an imposing statue of Jesus, through the streets of the Spanish city. Instead, the Brotherhood posted old videos and photos of their last procession, two years ago.
Some Pentecostal Christians in South Africa canceled a three-day retreat starting on Good Friday. On the hills overlooking Soweto, a municipality in Johannesburg, apostolic Pentecostals gathered in small groups on Sunday to celebrate Easter.
In South Korea, the Yoido Full Gospel Church, the country’s largest Protestant church, allowed only about 2,000 people to attend Easter worship, or about 17% of the main building’s capacity. Masked worshipers sang hymns and prayed while the service was broadcast online and on Christian TV channels.
With the intention of containing weeks of growing infections, the Italian government ordered people to stay home for the three-day weekend, except for essential tasks. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government allowed a visit to family or friends a day in the regions where residents reside over the weekend, which includes the national holiday on Monday.
Italy allows religious services in the pandemic if capacity is limited and masks are used. However, in the beginning, the many churches in the predominantly Roman Catholic country were only open for individual prayers.
Hundreds of Catholics gathered at the gigantic St. Paul’s Cathedral in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night. All other banks were kept empty and masks were mandatory. Even so, the solemn liturgy marked a promising new start for the congregation after a turbulent year.
After Easter’s virtual services last year, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York was half full for Sunday mass. Worshipers dispersed to the vaulted neo-Gothic cathedral, which can accommodate more than 2,000. The choir sang through masks.
In Detroit, the Hartford Memorial Baptist Church was opened for in-person Easter services for the first time in more than a year, with capacity limits and rules of social distance in place. Rev. Charles Christian Adams told the Detroit Free Press that people need the church, especially after the congregation lost at least 14 members to COVID-19.
Tonee Carpio said that being physically at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Austin, Texas, meant a lot to her after services last year were offered only online. She said being in the church helps to keep her Filipino culture alive in her city, as some prayers are offered in her native Tagalog.
“When you are inside a church, you become more solemn, you can focus on God,” she said.
In Florida, the Eastgate Christian Fellowship in Panama City Beach organized its annual sunrise service on the beach. The church had to cancel the service last year because all beaches were closed. Pastor Janelle Green estimated that about 400 people participated.
Robin Fox, of Palm Bay, planned to spend Sunday taking his mother to Orlando to receive a second dose of the vaccine at a Federal Emergency Management Agency location.
“She is getting that freedom on the same day that (people go to) church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, so I said (to her): ‘It’s as if you too have risen,'” Fox said.
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AP reporters from around the world contributed.
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