Pope Francis Opens Holy Week Without Public Amid Pandemic

Pope Francis holds Palm Sunday Mass without the public since the traditional ceremony in St. Peter’s Square was scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Normally, tens of thousands of Romans, tourists, and pilgrims, holding olive tree branches or palm fronds would gather for an outdoor Mass led by the pontiff.


Instead, Francis was leading the ceremony inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which seemed even more spacious than usual because it was so empty.

Pope Francis called the pandemic a tragedy on Sunday that ‘must be faced with courage and hope’.

“Today, in the tragedy of a pandemic, in the face of the many false securities that have now crumbled, in the face of so many hopes betrayed, in the sense of abandonment that weighs upon our hearts, Jesus says to each one of us: ‘Courage, open your heart to my love’,” the pope said.


Besides his aides, a few invited prelates, nuns and laypeople were present, sitting solo in the first pews and staggered meters (yards) apart to reduce the risks of contagion.