As Italy and other European nations toughen coronavirus measures, the pope's weekly meetings with pilgrims will be postponed amid the surging second wave of Covid-19 cases.
During this week's Audience, the pope kept his distance and avoided personally greeting pilgrims.
JOSEPH HERTER
Student
'You realize that he is a human being just like we are and that he has a tremendous responsibility, and that we need to pray for him.'
Those few pilgrims who were able to attend the pope's last live audience included foreign university students in Rome.
This was the case for Joseph, an American student who was able to witness his first and last papal audience before they return to being streamed online.
Clara Avena is a university student from Brazil who recently transferred to the Eternal City. She has been witnessing firsthand the challenges of the pandemic in Italy. Still, she hopes to meet the pope during an Audience in the near future.
CLARA AVENA
Student
'Whenever it happens, because now that they are more strict, it's kind of hard, so I don't know when it's happening, but whenever it happens for sure.'
It is unsure when students like Clara might get to attend a live Audience again because starting Wednesday, Nov. 4, General Audiences will once again be broadcast live from the Library of the Apostolic Palace.
Christian Campos
