Holy Fire lit as Orthodox Easter bells echo over near-empty Jerusalem

A priest prays at the entrance of the Church of the Nativity that is closed amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), before the arrival of the Holy Fire in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Holy Fire ceremony symbolising Jesus' resurrection was lit in a deserted Jerusalem on Saturday, without the joyful throng of Orthodox Christian pilgrims who normally attend a spectacle that brings the Easter season to a colourful climax.

Bells tolled above a near-empty Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, Theophilos III, emerged carrying the flame from the crypt where Christians believe Jesus was buried.