NPR

At The Vatican, A Christmas Eve Mass Shaped By The Pandemic

Only 100 or so people attended the service, and they wore masks and socially distanced. The Mass began two hours early so all could make it home before Italy's virus curfew.
Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican as Italy went back into lockdown measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To a world upended by the coronavirus, Pope Francis offered a timeless message during a Christmas Eve Mass that was itself shaped by the ongoing pandemic.

The Mass was celebrated

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