Blood of Christ

It was 10:30 pm on a Friday when Arthur Brand got the delivery he was nervously expecting. His doorbell rang, and when he opened the door no one was there. Instead, a cardboard box was waiting for him at the door in the dark.

In that box he said was one of the most sacred artefacts ever stolen from the Catholic Church: the "Precious Blood of Christ" relic.

One by one, the children and adults line up for the centuries-old ritual of Holy Communion, trying to keep a proper social distance. The priest dips a spoon into the chalice of bread and wine, which the faithful believe is the body and blood of Christ, and puts it into the mouth of the first person in line.

Amid controversy over the Church of Greece's stance on the coronavirus, Archbishop Ieronymos on Friday urged worshippers to display "a spirit of responsibility," saying their faith would not be in doubt if they didn't go to church.

Bread used to celebrate the Eucharist during Roman Catholic Mass must not be gluten-free - although it may be made from genetically modified organisms, the Vatican has ruled.