Pope Francis livestreamed his prayers to giant screens in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday — breaking centuries of tradition because of Italy’s deadly spread of the novel coronavirus.
The 83-year-old pope — who tested negative for COVID-19 after suffering from a cold — appeared for a few seconds at a Vatican palazzo window to wave to the small crowd gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.
But he made no comments from the window, with his traditional Angelus Prayer and blessings for the first time ever being streamed onto large screens in the square, broadcast live from the Vatican’s apostolic library.
Francis said he felt “caged” as he delivered his blessings in a way authorities hoped would keep away large crowds during the outbreak that has seen 233 deaths and 6,000 cases in Italy, Agence France-Presse reported.
“I am close through prayer with the people who suffer from the current coronavirus epidemic,” the pope said in his message, AFP said.
“I join my brother bishops in encouraging the faithful to live this difficult moment with the strength of faith, the certainty of hope and the fervor of charity.”
Italy has borne the brunt in Europe of the COVID-19 disease now sweeping the world.
Authorities on Sunday ordered the complete lockdown of some 16 million people — including the cities of Venice and Milan — in a draconian health measure expected to be approved by legislators later in the day.
The pope’s contact with others has been limited in an effort to keep him from being infected. He has stopped celebrating morning Mass before invited guests at the chapel in the Vatican hotel, where he lives. His age and history of respiratory infection – he had part of one lung removed when he was young – makes him especially vulnerable to the disease.
With Post wires