The message of Easter is not a mirage or a magic formula, Pope Francis said. But it does offer hope to a world suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic and many sources of conflict.

Vaccines are promising an end to the Covid-19 pandemic, but weekly Mass attendance may not yet be possible. And for centuries, many Catholics have maintained faith without it.

Covid-19 immunization campaigns must overcome enormous difficulties in reaching remote indigenous groups, isolated riverside communities and the villages of quilombola people, the descendants of African slaves.

A miracle is not something that bends nature but something that, like Christ’s works, manifests God’s power to restore life. The Covid-19 vaccines fit that definition.

In Palm Sunday services at the Vatican, Pope Francis said that to admire Jesus "is not enough. We have to follow in his footsteps."

Revisiting this classic story in this time of isolation offers a new perspective on quarantine, and indeed a new perspective on journeys themselves.