Updated Apr 12, 2020 - World

Pope Francis offers hope in coronavirus crisis at Easter Sunday mass

Rebecca Falconer

Pope Francis swings a thurible at the start of Easter Sunday Mass on April 12 — Pope Francis swings a thurible at the start of Easter Sunday Mass behind closed doors at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Photo: Andreas Solaro/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis spoke of a "contagion of hope" as he celebrated Easter Sunday mass by breaking with centuries of tradition in a livestream of the service from a near-empty St. Peter's Basilica.

The big picture: The mass was broadcast via the Holy See's YouTube channel early Sunday amid the lockdown. Hope was a theme of the Pope's Saturday night Easter vigil, when he urged some 1.2 billion Catholics, "Do not be afraid, do not yield to fear" in the coronavirus crisis.

Other leaders also expressed hope, including Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who spoke in a recorded Easter message Saturday of "light overcoming darkness."
Church of England leader and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was to speak of a "resurrection of our common life" in his "first national digital Easter Sunday service from the kitchen" of his London apartment, per the BBC.

Watch the mass below:

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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Pope Francis offers hope in coronavirus crisis at Easter Sunday mass

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