Pope to halt public audiences after rise in coronavirus cases

Pope Francis salutes the faithful at the end of his weekly general audience (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

Pope Francis is to halt his public general audiences and limit participation at Christmas and other upcoming Masses amid a surge of coronavirus cases in Italy and the Vatican.

Starting next week, Francis will resume live-streaming his weekly catechism lessons from his library in the Apostolic Palace, as he did during the Covid-19 lockdown in the spring and summer, the Vatican said.