Coronavirus: Pope Francis ends public audiences, eyes Christmas as cases surge in Italy
- Pontiff will resume live-streaming weekly catechism lessons as he did during earlier Covid-19 lockdown
- News comes as Vatican reports that someone who attended October 21 event tested positive for coronavirus
Pope Francis is halting his public general audiences and will limit participation at Christmas and other upcoming Masses amid a surge of coronavirus cases in Italy and the Vatican, officials said on Thursday.
Starting next week, Francis will resume live-streaming his weekly catechism lessons from his library in the Apostolic Palace, as he did during the Vatican’s Covid-19 lockdown during the spring and summer, the Vatican said.
In addition, Francis’ liturgical events over the next few weeks and months – including Christmas – will be attended by limited numbers of faithful, the Vatican said, though it noted plans could change as the health situation evolves.
The shift nevertheless indicated that the Vatican is moving back into partial lockdown mode along with the rest of Italy as Europe experiences surging Covid-19 infections that are putting pressure on already overburdened health care systems.
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The Vatican City State has not been spared, with 13 Swiss Guards testing positive this month. All told, the Holy See’s official caseload stands at 27, according to the Johns Hopkins University running tally.