In keeping with Italian law, all of the religious leaders, including Pope Francis, wore a mask except when delivering their speeches, which they did while keeping a distance from those listening.

Though the Christian communities around Erbil, like much of Iraq, were spared by the first wave of the pandemic, the numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths rose dramatically over the summer and appear now on the cusp of another significant acceleration.

A resident at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the residence where Pope Francis lives, tested positive for Covid-19.

The question Lewis proposed is analogous to the one we have to deal with now: What use is it to study during wartime? 

Seven more Swiss Guards have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing to 11 confirmed cases

A maskless Pope Francis met guests at a crowded indoor papal audience last week, kissing the hands of newly ordained priests and embracing people who pulled their masks down or did not wear masks at all, flouting the Vatican’s coronavirus protocols.