Pope Francis usually joins tens of thousands of faithful at Rome’s Colosseum for a traditional Good Friday procession that solemnly evokes the Stations of the Cross leading up to Christ’s crucifixion.

But on this Good Friday, like Christians all around the world, Francis is staying at home, where he will preside over a ceremony in front of an empty St. Peter’s Square.

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Christians to forgo the usual processions and sacred church services. Instead, national lockdowns have relegated participation for the faithful to following along on television or livestreams.

In Jerusalem, few people stopped to kneel outside the often-packed Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the site where the faithful believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. In Spain, where deaths have surpassed 15,000, the elaborate platforms carrying religious statues in processions are gone, as are the crowds they typically draw.