In a test of faith, Christians mark Good Friday in isolation

(AP) — Christians are commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion without the solemn church services or emotional processions of past years, marking Good Friday in a world locked down by the coronavirus pandemic.

A small group of clerics held a closed-door service in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.

The torch-lit Way of the Cross procession in Rome has been canceled, and Pope Francis will preside over a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square with only around a dozen people. Also, folk rituals featuring real-life crucifixions have been called off in the Philippines.