Public gatherings, including Masses, have been banned in Italy through April 3, two days before Palm Sunday.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County was 144 as of March 17, with additional cases in nearby counties.

I am writing this column from my bedroom in New York on the seventh day of my self-quarantine. Last month I had the honor to co-lead America Media’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Father James Martin.

Francis counseled: “Don’t waste these difficult days,” instead “rediscover” the importance of “small, concrete gestures expressing closeness and concreteness toward the people closest to us, a caress for our grandparents, a kiss for our children, for the people we love.”

It is good to know that people are still people, still willing to visit each other, still willing to bring hope, still willing to share what they have.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” the hosts discuss the pope’s pilgrimage through the empty streets of Rome.