Pope and church leaders prepare for virtual Easter as lockdowns tighten worldwide – The Guardian, Theguardian.com
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The pope and other Christian leaders are preparing to give their annual Easter addresses over the internet as churches stand empty and countries around the world continue to extend lockdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Pope Francis will break with centuries of tradition and livestream his Easter Sunday mass to allow the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to celebrate their holiest holiday.
Billions of people around the world are in lockdown and many coun tries, from Argentina to Saudi Arabia, have ramped up restrictions as the disease spreads.
Indonesia has imposed curbs on public transport ahead of the annual exodus to home villages that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Restrictions around the world also pose a problem for enforcement as governments plead with people to stay indoors over the holiday weekend in many countries.
The pope’s virtual prayers are just the most vivid example of religious improvisation in the age of social distancing and confinement. The faithful have already followed his advice and found creative solutions.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will hail the courage of people working on the front line in response to the coronavirus outbreak as he leads Britain’s first national digital Easter Sunday service from his kitchen.
Welby will also call for “a resurrection of our common life” in the video from his flat at Lambeth Palace in London.
“After so much suffering, so much heroism from key workers and the NHS, we cannot be content to go back to what was before as if all is normal,” he will say in the sermon recorded on his iPad.
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