Vatican City, April 13 (TIWN) Pope Francis has urged people not to "yield to fear" over the coronavirus pandemic, calling on them to be "messengers of life in a time of death", the media reported.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church was speaking at his Easter vigil service on Saturday evening in an almost empty St Peter's Basilica.

Members of the world's 1.3 billion Catholic community could follow a live stream of the service.

Lockdown measures are still in place across Italy, hard hit by the pandemic.