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Pope tells priests to go out, meet the virus sick
VATICAN CITY, March 10, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Pope Francis urged Catholic
priests on Tuesday to “have the courage” to go out and help those sickened by
the novel coronavirus, hours after Italy was placed on a nationwide lockdown.
“Let us pray to the Lord also for our priests, that they may have the
courage to go out and visit the sick… and to accompany the medical staff
and volunteers in the work they do,” the pontiff said during a mass in
Vatican City.
St Peter’s Square in the Vatican — in the centre of the Italian capital
Rome — was almost empty on Tuesday with only a few dozen people walking
around, most of them without masks.
The Italian government has asked for people not to travel if they can avoid
it and to avoid contact with the sick.
Officials passed a decree late Monday extending nationwide restrictive
measures that had been put in place at the weekend in the hardest-hit
northern regions.
The restrictions — including checkpoints on roads and in railway stations
— are set to remain until April 3.
Italy is the epicentre of the European virus outbreak with more than 9,000
cases and 463 deaths so far.
Globally, more than 110,000 cases have been recorded in over 100 countries,
although health experts are hopeful that the virus has peaked in China, where
it originated late last year.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1731 hrs