Pope gives on-screen sermon as Vatican museums close over virus

Faithful watching Pope Francis deliver the Angelus prayer on a giant screen, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The pope in his streamed remarks said he was close in prayers to those suffering from the coronavirus and to those caring for them. — AP

Pope Francis has joined Italy’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, taking to video streaming to address the faithful as the Vatican closed its world-renowned museums.

Francis’s comments to mark the end of the weekly Angelus devotion were broadcast by live streaming from a library inside the Vatican on Sunday. However, the pontiff did make a personal appearance, blessing the people gathered in St Peter’s Square from the window he uses for regular sermons.