KOLKATA: Thousands of Christians here celebrated Easter on Sunday and attended the Easter mass through live-streaming as all religious places remained shut due to the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.
All churches in the city have been closed to prevent large gatherings and spread of the virus.
Religious gatherings and processions too have been banned by the government.
During his address to the faithful, Archbishop Thomas D'Souza of the Archdiocese of Kolkata called upon all the faithful to be on the side of the poor.
He addressed people from the Archbishop's house online.
"Serving the poor gives joy of peace," he said.
Holy masses will be held on April 19 and 26 and the faithful will be able to attend the services through live- streaming, he said.
The Easter Sunday mass was viewed by 2 lakh people on a social media channel.
Bishop Paritosh Canning of the Diocese of Kolkata, (Church of North India), also conducted the Easter Sunday mass service from the Bishop's House and the members of the community attended the service through live-streaming.
Bishop Canning called upon the Lord to give strength to serve people and to be on the side of the poor in every situation.
The service was viewed by 1.2 lakh people.
"I missed the Sunday Easter crowd in the church today. But this has been a new experience to watch and join the proceedings from our homes," Ankita Gomes, a young banker from Entally area said.
"As the church priest chanted Amen, we all repeated the word and I felt as if we were all inside a prayer hall, just like the bygone days," Gomes said.
The Holy Week started on April 5 and ended on April 12.
Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ after crucifixion.
It is one of the holiest festivals of Christianity that also witnesses a lot of social activity besides prayers and elaborate church services.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, has forced the believers to make the festival a private affair.