World News | Pope Francis Back to In-person Sunday Blessing

Vatican City, Apr 18 (AP) Pope Francis says he is happy to be back greeting the faithful in St Peter's Square for his traditional Sunday noon blessing after weeks of lockdown measures.

Italy later this month will start gradually lifting some anti-pandemic restrictions, allowing, for example, outdoor dining at cafes and restaurants in areas of the country where the COVID-19 outbreak has been showing signs of improvement.

A couple of hundred people, including nuns and families, standing a safe distance apart in the vast square, turned out to see the pope speak from a window of the Apostolic Palace.

“Thank God, we can gather in this square again,” Francis said. “I have to say, I miss the square."

The past weeks have seen Francis standing at a lectern inside the palace to deliver his Sunday noon remarks via TV, radio and internet.

“Thank God and thank you for your presence,” Francis told those who showed up despite clouds threatening a downpour in Rome. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)