Pope Francis’ Angelus address moves outdoors as coronavirus restrictions ease in Rome

By Hannah Brockhaus for CNA

February 3, 2021 CNA Daily News News Briefs 1 Print

Pope Francis after praying the Angelus in the Vatican’s apostolic palace on March 29, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media.

Vatican City, Feb 3, 2021 / 09:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis will speak to a live audience once again as his weekly Angelus address moves back to St. Peter’s Square on Sunday after a seven-week absence.

The pope leads the traditional Marian prayer from the Vatican every Sunday at noon local time — usually from a window overlooking the square, which is filled with people who come to hear him.

But since Rome was again put under stricter coronavirus regulations at the end of December and through January, the pope’s address moved indoors to a live-stream format.

While Rome was designated a “red zone” and then an “orange zone,” Francis led the Angelus via live video from his library in the Apostolic Palace.

On Monday, Rome’s region of Lazio became a “yellow zone,” easing some of the restrictions intended to control the spread of COVID-19.

Under the eased measures, museums, including the Vatican Museums, reopened to visitors.

The Vatican Museums, after reopening in June 2020 when Italy’s strict national lockdown ended, were forced to close for another 86 days when restrictions again tightened in early November.

Pope Francis’ Angelus on Feb. 7 will be his second live appearance in recent days. On Tuesday, Feb. 2, he offered Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the World Day for Consecrated Life, which has been celebrated each year on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord for the past 25 years.

Late last month, the pope had been forced to cancel three public appearances due to a recurrence of nerve pain that struck him at the end of 2020.

In a private audience with an American news agency on Feb. 1, Francis said that he can usually feel when a flare-up of sciatica is coming on and his doctor will advise him to cancel or postpone events which will require standing for a long period.

But, he told Catholic News Service, his doctor had told him to still “do the Angelus or people will say you are dead.”

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No tattoos or piercings: new rules for Vatican employees

July 1, 2024 Catholic News Agency 0
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. / Credit: Vlas Telino studio/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 1, 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

With the publication of new regulations, Pope Francis has made it clear that employees of the Fabric of St. Peter must profess the Catholic faith, wear decent and appropriate clothing, and not have visible tattoos or piercings, among other requirements.

The Office of the Holy See has published a chirograph of Pope Francis on the Statute and Regulations of the Chapter of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, which determines the norms for the staff of the Fabric of St. Peter, the entity responsible for the conservation and maintenance of St. Peter’s Basilica. A chirograph is an order signed by the pope.

All employees must comply, including the so-called “sampietrini,” those in charge of admittance, surveillance, cleaning, and maintenance of the Vatican basilica.

The document, published on June 29, establishes that employees must “take care of their outward appearance in accordance with the demands and customs of the work environment.”

The Holy Father thus determined that “visible tattoos on the skin and piercings are prohibited.” Likewise, employees must “wear decent clothing appropriate to the activity they are going to perform.”

It will also be mandatory for them to “profess the Catholic faith and live according to its principles” as well as demonstrate that they are married in the Church by presenting a “canonical marriage certificate.” They must also provide baptism and confirmation certificates and demonstrate that they have no criminal record.

The chirograph also states that members of the Fabric staff “commit to observing exemplary religious and moral conduct, even in their private and family life, in accordance with the doctrine of the Church.”

“Staff are required to behave politely while on duty, [be] respectful of the sacred place, and act … properly toward others and [in consideration of] the surroundings,” the document reads.

Also, “special care will be taken to observe the pontifical secret, in accordance with current regulations.”

Likewise, without prior authorization from the archpriest in charge of the basilica, “no one may issue statements and interviews, not even through digital instruments and platforms, regarding the people, activities, environments, and guidelines of the Fabric.”

Furthermore, Article 10 establishes that the staff is obliged to strictly observe confidentiality and will not be able to “provide to anyone who does not have the right to it information about events or news that they have learned due to their work or service.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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1 Comment

  1. People of goodwill from far and near love to watch and listen to the inspiring words of His Holiness Pope Francis. May the Holy Father be blessed with sound health.

    Reply

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