Coronavirus: Orthodox Easter weekend marked under lockdown
The world's Orthodox Christians are celebrating Easter - the most important festival in their calendar, amid a series of restrictions and bans.
Officials in Europe, the Middle East and Africa urged people not to attend services, fearing this would lead to a spike in coronavirus infections.
The traditional Holy Fire ceremony went ahead in a near-deserted Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The church was closed last month and only a handful of Orthodox clergy, some of them wearing black masks, were allowed in for the ceremony on Saturday.
A candle is traditionally lit with the Holy Fire in the crypt of the Holy Sepulchre by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, to symbolise the resurrection of Jesus.
Instead of the flame being passed on to thousands of pilgrims, this time the ceremony was attended by the Armenian Orthodox patriarch, four assistants and Coptic and Syrian archbishops, Israeli media report.
The church bells tolled and the flame was carried out of the church by Theophilos III and others to be taken to Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv and flown to 10 countries.
Source: bbc.com
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