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Pope Francis will deliver his Christmas Day message indoors due to coronavirus restrictions, the Vatican said Tuesday, as two cardinals close to the pontiff tested positive for Covid-19.
The Pope traditionally delivers his message “Urbi y Orbi” (For the city and the world) from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on December 25.
But this year, Italy has imposed tough new restrictions over the Christmas and New Year period to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
As a result, the Vatican said: “Pope Francis will deliver the Christmas message and impart the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing in the Hall of Blessings in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.”
On December 26 and 27 and January 1, 3 and 6, the prayer of the Angelus will take place in the library.
The Christmas Eve Mass on December 24 had already been advanced to allow the faithful to return home before the 10 p.m. curfew in Italy.
The news came as Vatican sources said that two cardinals in the pope’s entourage were confirmed to have coronavirus.
Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who is in charge of the Pope’s charities, “tested positive for Covid-19,” said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
The 57-year-old man, known as “Robin Hood” for his work with the poor and the homeless, had symptoms of pneumonia and is currently under surveillance at a Rome hospital.
Officials are still trying to identify his recent contacts, but he is known to meet with the Pope regularly.
Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 78, president of the governorate, effectively the executive director, of the small state of Vatican City, also tested positive, a Vatican source told AFP.
The 84-year-old pope, known for his love of reaching out to the faithful, has been reluctant to wear a mask despite the pandemic that has hit Italy especially hard.
During a meeting with Vatican employees on Monday, the pontiff – he and his entourage without masks – could not resist hugging a baby.
The Argentine is considered particularly at risk of complications if he contracts coronavirus, both because of his age and his history of lung problems.
He nearly died when he was 21 after developing pleurisy, and part of one of his lungs was removed, according to biographer Austen Ivereigh.
In a recent book, “Let Us Dream,” the Pope described how he fought for his life during the 1957 illness, when he was in his second year of formation for the priesthood in Buenos Aires.
“I have an idea of how people with coronavirus feel when they struggle to breathe with ventilators,” the pontiff wrote.
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