Churches hold Easter services

Churches were last night to hold Easter Saturday services with congregations, which they had been unable to do in March due to the lockdown. 

Archbishop Ieronymos officiated over a service at Athens Cathedral from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., while thousands of Orthodox faithful gathered at churches around the country to sing hymns celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. 

The Holy Synod said the services would "give the faithful the opportunity to experience the joy of Easter of which they were deprived due to the coronavirus pandemic." 

Churches were reopened on May 17 after an almost two-month lockdown that resulted in Easter services taking place without congregations.