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:
Go deeper:
- In photos: Easter and Passover celebrated around the world during pandemic
- Easter poses major social distancing test
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.