Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the tomb of his sainted predecessor, John Paul II, on the occasion of the centenary of the Polish pope's birth. For the first time since the pandemic started, the general public was admitted into St. Peter's Basilica, but with sanitary protocols observed.

During his early morning Mass, Pope Francis joined leaders of every religion marking May 14 as a day of prayer, fasting and acts of charity to ask God to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

In Italy, the pandemic presents economic and social challenges, especially when it comes to food distribution, hygiene, and employment.

On the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, Pope Francis prayed for all those who work and said that "human work is the vocation received from God."

In the homily he offered during his morning Mass on April 28, Pope Francis expressed the hope that people will be socially responsible once the pandemic restrictions begin to be lifted.

As of May 4, small funerals will be allowed, individuals will be permitted to visit family members, most factories will reopen and people will be able to go to a restaurant to order food to take away.

Pope Francis wrote two new prayers to Mary that can be recited at the end of the rosary, prayers he said he would be reciting "in spiritual union with all of you."

In April, as Italy and the Vatican moved toward their seventh week in lockdown, Catholic News Service asked several people for their "post-pandemic resolutions."

On the recommendation of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, Pope Francis is postponing the upcoming World Meeting of Families as well as World Youth Day by a year because of coronavirus.

The church and government in Italy are making plans which would allow for the gradual--though limited--resumption of public Masses and funerals.