Pope ‘back in the square’ as Vatican eases restrictions slightly

Pope ‘back in the square’ as Vatican eases restrictions slightly.

ALMOST two months after suspending weekly Sunday audiences due to the Covid pandemic, Pope Francis has welcomed the public back to a meager and socially-distanced St Peter’s Square.

“We’re in the square again”, he beamed from a window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace adressing a stripped back crowd huddled under umbrellas to shelter from the rain.

Rome is now classified as a ‘yellow zone’ and as such Covid measures have eased recently, with the lowest level of restrictions in place in the city.

Movement between different regions in the country is still prohibited and measures remain in place to discourage international travellers to Italy.

This means the thousands of pilgrims and tourists who normally swarm around the Vatican have all but disappeared since the start of the pandemic.

On February 1, the Vatican Museums reopened after 88 days closed due to the health crisis.

The Vatican Museums had been closed to visitors since November 5, 2020, in line with the closure of Italy’s museums amid tighter coronavirus restrictions.

Aside from during the pandemic, the only time the museums closed their doors was one summer during World War II.

Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “Pope ‘back in the square’ as Vatican eases restrictions slightly”. For more UK daily news, Spanish daily news and Global news stories, visit the Euro Weekly News home page.