The head of the Roman Catholic Church holds the sacred ceremony without the public for the first time due to the coronavirus lockdown, as Italy is suffering from an extremely high death toll amid the pandemic.
Pope Francis celebrates the beginning of Holy Week with a Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, marking Jesus Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem before he was crucified.
This year, there are no traditional crowds at the event, as Italians are quarantined due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and borders are closed to pilgrims. According to official data, at least 124,600 have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, while the death toll is the highest in the world, with 15,362 people succumbing to the disease.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
