Coronavirus: Pope set to make first trip outside Rome since Italy’s lockdown began

Pope Francis’ last trip away from Rome was to the southern Italian city of Bari in late February, just as Covid-19 was erupting in the north of the country

He is to journey next month to Assisi, the birthplace in central Italy of his namesake saint, to sign an authoritative papal letter to faithful worldwide

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Pope Francis pictured in the San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:10pm, 5 Sep 2020Updated: 9:10pm, 5 Sep 2020

Pope Francis is set to make what would be his first visit outside Rome since Italy was put under lockdown in early March when it became the first country in Europe to feel the full brunt of the coronavirus pandemic.

The pope is to journey to Assisi in the central Italian region of Umbria next month, the birthplace of his namesake saint, to sign an authoritative papal letter to clergy and faithful worldwide – a document known as an encyclical, the Vatican said on Saturday.

The encyclical is expected to stress the value of brotherly relations during and after the pandemic, a theme Francis evoked repeatedly during the pandemic. Encyclicals lay out a pontiff’s views on important issues and usually shape Catholic teaching and policy in the years to come.

“Because of the health situation, it’s the desire of the Holy Father that the visit be carried out privately, without any participation by the faithful,” a reference to rank-and-file Catholics, the Vatican said.

The encyclical will be titled in Italian “’Fratelli tutti’ sulla fraternita’ e l’amicizia sociale”. The English-language version’s title wasn’t given, but it roughly translates to “’Brothers all’ on brotherhood and social friendship.”

“Brothers all,” is a saying of St. Francis that the pope has cited in the past.