Top Mexican Catholic cleric chooses science, suspends centuries-old pilgrimage

A general view of the Basilica of Guadalupe entrance that is temporarily closed to avoid crowds on the traditional day of celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Mexico City, Mexico December 10, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The overflowing crowds and lavish pageantry surrounding a centuries-old annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Mexico's Virgin of Guadalupe, among the world's biggest religious gatherings, will be another pandemic casualty this year.

The country's top Roman Catholic leader said closing the shrine for the first time was a painful but unavoidable decision as coronavirus infections intensified in Mexico City.