Despite the fact that up to Easter, nearly a month, the Vatican announced on Saturday that the celebration of Holy Week this year, led by Pope Francis will be held without the presence of the faithful.
Decision taken as a result of a global pandemic COVID-19, marks an unprecedented move the Catholic Church into the modern era, but still leaves open the question of the public celebration of the Easter mass Sunday.
the Announcement was published on the website of the Pontifical household of the Holy see, which, among other things, coordinates official visits and meetings of the Pope. It is also the office that organizes most of the public the schedule of Pope and distributes tickets for the papal masses, audiences and other ceremonies.
"Prefecture of the papal household announces that due to current emergencies public health all liturgical celebrations of Holy week will be held without the physical presence of the believers," reads the statement, which was originally posted only in Italian, but later also in English.
the notice also States that, at least until Sunday, April 12 - Easter Sunday - all the major audience of Pope Francis Wednesday and Sunday prayer angel will be streamed online, without the presence of the faithful in the square, as it was in the recent past. weeks.
it Remains unclear when papal mass and audience will be reopened to the public after this date.
Holy week marks one of the most prominent liturgical seasons Catholics around the world. However, because the number of deaths from the coronavirus in the world continues to grow, and many countries have announced decisive measures to limit the spread of this disease, which has killed more than 5,000 people, it is possible that many dioceses will be forced to take similar emergency action to invite Catholics to join the celebration via the Internet, radio or television.
the Church in Rome were temporarily closed in the beginning of this week, but after the intervention of Pope Francis, it was decided that they can re-open. The faithful are invited to pray and participate in Eucharistic adoration, always keeping a safe distance and following recommended health precautions such as washing hands and disinfecting surfaces the diluted alcohol.
According to the latest estimates at the end of Saturday, Italy died 1441 people from COVID-19, and more than 21,000 Italians appeared to be infected with coronavirus. Italy is the most affected European country at this point in pandemic conditions.
