After Pope Francis expressed that he felt 'caged' because of continued threat of the novel coronavirus in the city-state of Vatican in his address to the faithful which was aired via live stream, he was visited by 30 French Bishops who kept a healthy distance from the pontiff, Monday.
The Vatican released photos of the bishops in armchairs about a meter apart following government regulations and efforts in combating the illness that has killed at least 366 people in Italy in a span of two weeks.
The 83-year-old Vatican City-state sovereign was kept in a good distance from his visitors whom he addressed using a microphone. His visitors include the 30 French Bishops, two foreign ambassadors to the Holy See, and a prelate from Peru. However, a participant said that everyone still shook hands during the said visit.
Francois Jacolin, bishop of Lucon took it to Twitter to assure the catholic community that the pope is in great shape after talking to him. Pope Francis has been suffering from a cold for almost more than a week and has canceled public engagement and appearances.
The Argentine-born Pope has enjoyed a healthy life and relatively good health aside from respiratory discomfort caused by the removal of a part of his lungs during his youth and his difficulty in walking caused by sciatica. Hence, his unusual absence amid the coronavirus outbreak has prompted speculations that the pope has caught the dreaded disease.
Last week, a newspaper reported that the pope had been tested negative from the virus. However, the said report was not validated by the Vatican, but they said that the pope was not diagnosed with any other pathologies except a common cold.
The pontiff was also able to deliver his traditional Angelus Prayer and message to the 1.3 billion Catholics around the world last Sunday. It was however delivered through live stream instead of giving it from his window facing Saint Peter's Square in order to keep the crowds low and decrease the risk of contagion.
After his message, the pope still took time to peek out the window and waved which draw cheers from the few devout Catholics who still went to see the pope's appearance on the giant screen.
The pope noted that it was strange to deliver the Angelus caged from a library, but assured the faithful that he was close to them as he can still see them.
However, some pilgrims were disappointed after coming a long way expecting to receive the blessing directly but had to watch from a giant screen instead.
Pamela Kennedy from Yukon, Oklahoma told Reuters that she was bitterly disappointed since she and her husband has planned this trip from a couple of years ago to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary which is also her 20th anniversary as a catholic.
The Italian government has also imposed other restrictions throughout Italy including the closure of museums. Vatican Museums which usually welcome six million visitors a year have also been closed since Monday.
COVID-19 death toll has surpassed 4,000 world wide and the number of infections has already reached113,000 all around the globe.
