While this Easter Sunday marked one of the holiest day for millions of Christians around the world, it also was the second Easter in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Again this year, Easter celebrations at the Vatican looked different – from limited gathering inside of St. Peter's basilica to limited gathering in St. Peter's Square after mass. Some things were more normal, like a choir singing hymns and the Pope's annual Easter message.
During his address, Pope Francis urged Catholics to keep up hope in the fight of COVID-19, and also made a push toward vaccinations.
"Vaccines are an essential tool in this fight. I urge the entire international community, in a spirit of global responsibility, to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of vaccines and to facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries."
In Italy, which has seen Europe's second highest death toll at more than 110,000,
most of its newest cases have been traced to the highly contagious variant first detected in Britain.
