Australia's church leaders have focused on hope in their annual Easter messages, speaking to the nation's faithful amid the COVID-19 outbreak and after the summer's devastating bushfires.
Sydney Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies says when asked whether coronavirus had killed Easter, his answer is a "resounding no".
"We've never experienced a crisis quite like this before," Dr Davies says in a video message.
"We have so many fears - unemployment, loneliness, the safety of our loved ones.
"Of course, the greatest fear of all from this virus is the fear of death, but the message of Easter is that death has been conquered.
"There is hope because God sent Jesus into our world."
In her Easter message, filmed on bushfire-ravaged Kangaroo Island before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, President of the Uniting Church in Australia Dr Deidre Palmer says "from death and devastation, new life and hope emerges".
"As we come to Easter this year, we are conscious of all those who are affected by the catastrophic and unprecedented events in Australia of bushfire, of flood and drought in so many parts of our country," Dr Palmer says.
"Christians believe that through his life and ministry, Jesus identifies with and comes alongside us in our suffering, and offers comfort, love and healing in all we're going through.
"In these times of crisis and trauma, we stand with each other, journeying and struggling together through the long road ahead.
"In the midst of grief, we see emerging signs of hope and signs of new life."
Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher says it can seem "impossible, even insensitive, to talk of hope when people are sick or dying, anxious or isolated, unemployed or otherwise burdened.
"We've been through plagues before. Some have been devastating. But eventually they pass," Archbishop Fisher says in his video message.
"After Good Friday comes Easter, after the tomb, new life."
Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia Peter Barnes says it seems "we are constantly swamped with the great issues of the day - droughts, then fires, then floods, then plague".
These issues of the day "point to the greatest issue of all time. The Son of God walked this earth, and defeated sin and death," Pastor Barnes says in a statement.
Melbourne's Anglican Archbishop, former Anglican Primate Philip Freier, says Jesus' death at Easter causes Christians to reflect on their own mortality while in his resurrection is seen the promise of eternal life.
"The unexpected crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has brought this truth to the forefront of awareness," the Archbishop says in a video message.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others and gatherings are limited to two people unless you are with your family or household.
If you believe you may have contracted the virus, call your doctor (don’t visit) or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. If you are struggling to breathe or experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.
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