Pope marks Palm Sunday Mass without public; some held on roofs

VATICAN CITY » Pope Francis celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in the shelter of St. Peter’s Basilica without the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, while parish priests elsewhere in Rome took to church rooftops and bell towers to lead services so that at least some faithful could follow the familiar ritual.

Looking pensive and sounding subdued, Francis led the first of several solemn Holy Week ceremonies that will shut out rank-and-file faithful from attending, as Italy’s rigid lockdown measures forbid public gatherings.

Normally, tens of thousands of Romans, tourists and pilgrims, clutching olive tree branches or palm fronds, would have flocked to an outdoor Mass led by the pontiff. Instead, Francis celebrated inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which seemed even more cavernous than usual because it was empty.

Besides his aides, a few invited prelates, nuns and laypeople were present, sitting solo in the first pews and staggered far apart to reduce the risks of contagion. A male choir, also practicising social distancing, sang hymns, accompanied by an organist.

Francis is also the bishop of Rome, and some of the parish priests in the capital went to unusual lengths — or, more precisely, unusual heights — so parishioners could follow Mass without resorting to streamed versions on TV or computers. The priests celebrated Mass on rooftops so that faithful who lived nearby could watch from balconies or terraces. In one church, a priest marked Palm Sunday with Mass in the confines of his church’s bell tower.

Social-distancing requirements affected Palm Sunday practices around the globe. In Jerusalem, where thousands of pilgrims usually participate in the march, this year was limited to a handful of participants. Clerics and faithful went door to door often throwing the branches to Christians looking on from their balconies.