London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Pope Francis sparks criticism as he goes maskless at public event day after staff promise they are ‘working on it’

Pope Francis sparks criticism as he goes maskless at public event day after staff promise they are ‘working on it’

Social media users have criticized Pope Francis, as he refused to wear a mask while holding a general audience at the Vatican, with people urging him to do so in public for “their safety and yours.”

The pontiff did not don a mask during his weekly address at the Vatican, only a day after his staff told reporters that they are “working” on convincing the Catholic leader to follow Covid-19 safety protocols and saying he “has started to use the mask now.”

However, despite Francis being at high risk of a serious infection if he contracted the virus – as an 83-year-old who had part of a lung removed due to illness – he declined to wear a mask at the indoor event.

Catholic priest Daniel Horan posted on Twitter to ask the Pope to take responsibility, even though his breathing difficulties can make it a challenge to have a face covering, by wearing “a mask in public, especially around others, for their safety and yours.” Another Twitter user suggested that “the Pope could display some helpful pro-life sentiment by wearing a mask while mingling.”


Francis did acknowledge pandemic protocols, letting the crowd know that while he would like to “come down and greet each of you,” he couldn’t as it would go against the coronavirus precautions put in place at the Vatican. During his address, the Pope said that we must be vigilant against “this lady named COVID, who is doing us much harm.”

Chico Harlan, the Washington Post’s Rome Bureau chief, who was at the general audience on Wednesday, tweeted that “the audience looks appropriate for 2020, but Pope Francis — mask-less and shaking hands… looks very much like he’s operating in 2019.”


The Pope has previously worn a mask, donning one at a prayer service in Rome, where he was in attendance with other religious figures, removing it only to speak to the audience. However, days ago, during a meeting with the Spanish prime minister and his delegation, no one in the room wore a mask. One Vatican correspondent highlighted the confusion over the situation, asking why, if Sanchez arrived at the apostolic palace wearing a mask, “did he take it off when he was with the pontiff.”


The Vatican is facing increasing pressure to take the virus seriously, as cases rise in the city. There have been 27 positive cases so far, with 15 people having recovered completely. No fatalities have been reported inside the Vatican.

The controversy around the Pope comes as the World Health Organization reported that Europe’s daily Covid-19 deaths rose by nearly 40 percent compared with the previous week. France, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the UK accounted for the majority of cases, which grew by a third. Italy, which surrounds the Vatican City, has seen infections surge to almost 22,000 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×