Pope Francis to resume his regular Wednesday public appearances from next week

Pope Francis will be resuming public weekly audiences from early September after 6 months of halting the practice due to novel coronavirus, the Vatican announced on August 26. The Wednesday audience is usually a packed, lively event with thousands of faithful gathered at the Vatican to hear the Pope speak. However, these audiences will take place in a closed courtyard at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. According to the reports by international media, only 500 seats will be placed and the audiences will not be as grand as they used to be at St Peter's Square.

Wednesday audience to resume from early September 

As the virus continues to take lives and disrupt economies all across the globe, Pope Francis reportedly said on a Wednesday audience through a TV camera that the coronavirus pandemic has revealed how "vulnerable" and "interconnected" people are and called for the weakest to be cared for. Earlier this month, in the same event, he announced that  he was going to go to the peripheries and open the church like a "big tent" for all to enter. Talking about the vaccine Pope said that, “The pandemic has laid bare the difficult situation of the poor and the great inequality that reigns in the world. And the virus, while it doesn't make exceptions among persons, has found in its path, devastating, great inequalities and discrimination”.

Read: Pope Francis Urges International Community To Help Lebanon After Beirut Explosion

Francis has dedicated much of his papacy to highlighting the plight of those living on life's margins, saying societies must put them at the centre of their attention. Francis said the response to the pandemic must be two-fold. On one hand, "it's indispensable to find the cure for such a small but tremendous virus, that brings the entire world to its knees”. 

Read: Pope: 'so Sad' If Rich People Had Vaccine Advantage

In another incident, Francis also came forward after the Beirut explosion as he called for international solidarity with Lebanon. According to international media reports, Pope Francis also urged church leaders in Lebanon to lead and asked the church in Lebanon should stay close to the people in their hour of need. He also said people to work together for the common good of this beloved country. The Pope said this while speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron on United Nations-supported virtual conference to collect aid for Lebanon. After the explosion, Pope Francis prayed for Lebanon during the weekly General Audience. The Pope said "let us pray for the victims and their families and let us pray for Lebanon" and asked the international community to help Lebanon overcome its internal crisis. 

Read: Beirut Blast: Pope Francis Sends Nearly $300,000 To Lebanon Church As 'initial Aid'

Also Read: Pope Francis Appoints Six Women In Senior Roles To Oversee Vatican’s Finances

(Image Credits: AP)