MONTREAL -- A special mass for Palm Sunday will be broadcast online this Saturday by Archbishop of Montreal Christian Lépine from the Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral.

The broadcast of the mass will air on Skype and YouTube at 5 p.m.

Lépine notes he also wants to encourage young people in Montreal to celebrate World Youth Day, an event organized by the Catholic Church, despite circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Isabel Correa, director of Mission Jeunesse Montréal, adds she believes the world needs hope and people should still be able to celebrate, even though church doors are currently closed.

Palm Sunday, which is celebrated the weekend before Easter Sunday, has significant biblical significance for the Christian religion.

It celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where the crowd welcomed him as a king.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2020.