July is traditionally the pope's month to rest or to spend more time working behind the scenes.
The only public event Pope Francis led was the Angelus, which he prayed from the window of the Apostolic Palace. In August, he'll resume his public catechesis, known as the General Audience. Because of the pandemic, the audiences will be live streamed from inside the library of the Apostolic Palace. They will not be held in the usual Paul VI hall with pilgrims.
Although the coronavirus situation has improved considerably in Italy, large assemblies are still prohibited. A few tourists can now be seen in the streets of Rome, the majority from within the European Union.
In March, Italy became the country with the highest number of coronavirus victims. The situation has changed drastically, moving from 6,000 new cases daily to no more than 400 new daily cases in over a month. Nevertheless, the government has decided to extend the country's state of emergency from July 31 to October 15, given that it can safely organize large events to prevent a resurgence of cases.
JRB
Translation: Claudia Torres
