In scenes very different from last year, Jerusalem's Church
of the Holy Sepulchre opened to the public on Palm Sunday, allowing Christians
to attend mass at the site where they believe Jesus was crucified and rose from
the dead.
اضافة اعلان
With more than half the population of Israel having received
two vaccine doses, coronavirus restrictions were eased to allow small
congregations to gather with social distancing measures in place.
The mood was celebratory as scores of Roman Catholics passed
through the huge wooden doors of the church that is the global focus of the
most important festival in the Christian calendar.
"Last year was a terrible Easter, without people,
closed doors. This year is much better, the door is open, we don't have a lot
of people but we feel more hopeful that things will become better," the
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told Reuters as he
emerged from the church flanked by clerics and worshippers carrying palm
fronds.
"The message of Easter is life and love, despite all
the signs of death, corona, pandemic, whatever, we believe in the power of love
and life," Pizzaballa said.
Under Israeli COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, the
patriarch later led worshippers wearing face masks and holding palm and olive
branches in a Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to the Old City.
This year, Roman Catholics celebrate Easter on April 4 and
Orthodox Christians nearly a month later, on May 2.
.jpg)
.jpg)
