Jerusalem, Mar 20, 2020 / 10:30 am
As Easter is approaching, the Holy Land is enduring tough times: the sacred sites are shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, and pilgrimages have come to an end.
These events "meaningfully impact our religious communities, especially for the lack of the Eucharist," Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa told CNA.
Pizzaballa is the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The patriarchate administers the Latin Catholic Church in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus, and leads a flock of 293,053 Catholics.
Pizzaballa said "the shutdown of the places of worship, along the almost total limitation of religious celebrations, and especially the lack of the Eucharistic celebration, has been a major blow to our communities."