A priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Nazariy, wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, blesses family members on the Easter eve near their house in the village of Nove close to capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April, 18, 2020. All the Ukrainian churches have been closed for people because of COVID-19 outbreak, and believers wait for the priest right near their houses. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Orthodox priests in much of Europe held Easter services in churches empty of parishoners because of restrictions imposed to block the spread of coronavirus.
In Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv, priests at the services that began late Saturday night wore the elaborate robes that characterize Orthodoxy's most important holy day and choirs sang, but worshipers could only see them on TV or online broadcasts.
Police were deployed outside hundreds of churches in Ukraine to ensure that anyone who came to stand outside a service observed regulations calling for social distancing and banning large gatherings.
A small exception was made at the Pechersk monastery in Kyiv, where police allowed worshipers to enter the church one at a time, with the next person going inside when another left. About 100 people stood outside the monastery waiting to be let in.
The monastery, a major tourist attraction because of its extensive system of caves and catacombs, was closed under quarantine; more than 90 of its monks have been identified as infected with coronavirus and at least two have died.
The monastery belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is loyal to to the Russian Orthodox Church and is one of two rival Orthodox denominations denominations in Ukraine. The church's leader drew criticism after suggesting that worshipers could gather outside while services were conducted rather than staying at home.
That statement increased tensions with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which last year was granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxy's prime authority, displacing the Russia-affiliated church.
In Georgia, some churches were open to worshipers, but only if they committed themselves to arriving before the country's 9 p.m. curfew started and remaining there until the curfew lifts at 6 a.m. About 100 people showed up to do that the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the capital Tbilisi, where marks were placed on the floor so that people would observe distancing.
All churches in greater Moscow, St. Petersburg and many Russian regions have been closed since Monday, although some churches in remote regions were expected to have services with parishoners attending.
Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill led the church's main service at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. In an Easter epistle, he called on his flock not to be discouraged by being unable to attend services.
'œWe Orthodox Christians should not lose heart or despair in these difficult circumstances, let alone panic. We are called upon to preserve the inner world,'ť he said.
In Cyprus, many Orthodox faithful stood on their balconies or front porches with lighted candles as clergymen officiating midnight Easter Service in empty churches chanted 'œChrist is Risen." Cypriots observed Easter services from their televisions at home following a government-imposed ban on worshippers attending church services that's part of a strict stay-at-home order.
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Jim Heintz in Moscow, Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this story.
A woman holds a candle at the window while listening to the blessings of a priest from downstairs during the coronavirus pandemic in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the holy light ahead of the usual time, at midnight, as people observed the interdiction to join religious celebrations in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, imposed across Romania as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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A priest distributes holy light to households during the coronavirus pandemic in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the holy light ahead of the usual time, at midnight, as people observed the interdiction to join religious celebrations in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, imposed across Romania as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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A volunteer carries a box of lit candles as he distributes Holy Light in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the candles ahead of the usual time, at midnight, as people observed the ban on gatherings in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
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A woman and her child, wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, light candles after a Great Saturday Mass in a church in Simferopol, Crimea, Saturday, April 18, 2020. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (AP Photo)
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A Greek Orthodox priest takes part in the Good Saturday ceremony, held without worshippers inside an empty church in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, during a lockdown order by the government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Greeks celebrated the Resurrection of Christ very differently Saturday night: confined at home, instead of massively congregating in churches. And they had to do without the "Holly Light" from Jerusalem, which arrived in Athens but was not distributed, as authorities remained ready to crack down on anyone who violated the strict curfew imposed almost a month ago. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
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A nun wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, walks on an empty street in Old Town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
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A priest blesses worshipers that stand at the windows of an apartment block during the coronavirus outbreak in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the holy light ahead of the usual time, at midnight, as people observed the interdiction to join religious celebrations in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, imposed across Romania as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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A homeless man walks in front of an Orthodox church which remains closed to the public, in Athens, on Saturday, April 18, 2020. The strict quarantine measures against the coronavirus mean that churches will stay empty and that the faithful will not light their candles with the Holy Light. Authorities are determine to punish any infractions. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
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A man leans out his window to receive Holy Light from a priest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the candles ahead of the usual time, at midnight, as people observed the ban on gatherings in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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An elderly woman receives Holy Light from a volunteer in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the candles ahead of the usual time, at midnight, as people observed the ban on gatherings in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
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Priest of Ukrainian Orthodox Church Nazariy, wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, followed by his assistants, walks along the street to bless people on the Easter eve in the village of Nove close to capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April, 18, 2020. All the Ukrainian churches have been closed for people because of COVID-19 outbreak, and believers wait for the priest right near their houses. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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Priest of Ukrainian Orthodox Church Nazariy, wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, blesses family members near their house in the village of Nove close to capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April, 18, 2020. All the Ukrainian churches have been closed for people because of COVID-19 outbreak, and believers wait for the priest near their houses. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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Priest of Ukrainian Orthodox Church Nazariy, wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, presents an elderly disabled man with an Easter cake near his house in the village of Nove close to capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April, 18, 2020. All the Ukrainian churches have been closed for people because of COVID-19 outbreak, and believers wait for the priest right near their houses. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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Orthodox nuns queue for communion from Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, center, after a Great Saturday Mass in a church in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, April 12, 2020. The Russian Orthodox Church says it will hold Easter services in Moscow without parishioners in conformance with an order from the city's chief epidemiologist to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (Sergei Zaikin, Russian Orthodox Church Press Service)
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A Lithuanian Orthodox believer wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus, prays after a cake and Easter egg blessing ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
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A caution tape cordons off an empty children's playground with an Orthodox church seen in the background, officially closed for parishioners according to the order of the city authorities due to coronavirus, in an almost empty square in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 18, 2020. For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection, communal mourning and joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been cancelled. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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A family holding candles gather on a rooftop of a building during a lockdown order by the government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Athens, on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Greeks celebrated the Resurrection of Christ very differently Saturday night: confined at home, instead of massively congregating in churches. And they had to do without the "Holy Light" from Jerusalem, which arrived in Athens but was not distributed, as authorities remained ready to crack down on anyone who violated the strict curfew imposed almost a month ago. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)
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A small numbers of Georgian Orthodox Church worshippers, observe social distancing guidelines to protect against coronavirus, attend a Mass celebrating Orthodox Easter at the Trinity cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Just a few priests accompanied by volunteers conduct the religious service as people observed the interdiction to join religious celebrations in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
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Georgian Orthodox Church priests, observe social distancing guidelines to protect against coronavirus, attend a religious service celebrating Orthodox Easter at the Trinity cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Just a few priests accompanied by volunteers conduct the religious service as people observed the interdiction to join religious celebrations in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
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