Vatican City, 15 March, 2020 / 10:56 am (ACI Africa).
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis’ liturgies for Holy Week and Easter, which usually include the presence of thousands of people, will be held without public attendance this year.
According to an online notice from the Prefecture of the Papal Household, “because of the current global public health emergency, all the Liturgical Celebrations of Holy Week will take place without the physical presence of the faithful.”
The Prefecture of the Papal Household is the office responsible for distributing the free of charge tickets which grant pilgrims access to Pope Francis’ general audiences and other public liturgies.
Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said March 15 the pope's Holy Week liturgies are confirmed to take place, though how they will happen is still being decided.
“Methods of implementation and participation are being studied which respect the security measures put in place to avoid the spread of coronavirus,” he said.