Vatican City: Pope Francis explained on Saturday he is forgoing his public appearances from the window overlooking St. Peter's Square to do his part in minimizing crowding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The day after Christmas would usually find thousands of people flocking to the square to catch the pope's noontime appearance, remarks and blessing and admire the Vatican's towering holiday tree.
Instead, Francis delivered his blessing from the library of the Apostolic Palace, acknowledging that faithful had to resort to digital media to follow him.
"We have to do it this way to avoid having people coming to the square,'' Francis said.
Read: Pope calls for vaccines to be given to the needy
Early in the virus outbreak, when all of Italy was put under severe lockdown, Francis lamented that he felt like he "was in a cage" because he couldn't meet the public at gatherings.
But lately, as Italy struggles to stamp down a second coronavirus surge that has now claimed more lives than the initial one last spring, the Pope has been urging people to comply with government restrictions.
December 26 is a holiday both at the Vatican and in Italy in honour of St. Stephen, the Catholic church's first martyr.
AP
