Pope Francis has live-streamed today's service amid fears of the spread of coronavirus with Italy embroiled in chaos after 16 million people were suddenly placed in quarantine.
Today, the pontiff led the weekly Sunday Angelus prayer from within the library of the Apostolic Palace, which was then aired live on a screen in Saint Peter's Square.
He said: "The Angelus prayer today is a bit strange, with the Pope locked in the Library, but I see you and I am near you.
"I am close through prayer with the people who suffer from the current coronavirus epidemic."
The Pope's extraordinary comes as Italy is locked down to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Sixteen million people have been quarantined across the north, including those in Milan and tourist hotspot Venice.
People are being warned not to flee to the south of the country, although trains and flights are still running as people rush to leave the regions affected.
Pope Francis explained the decision to live-stream the prayer was made in order to comply with prevention measures and to avoid big crowds, which can cause the transmission of the virus.
At the end of the live stream, the pontiff surprised everyone by greeting people from the window on Saint Peter's Square.
About 30,000 people were in Saint Peter's Square, Italian news website Il Messaggero reports.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed the General Audience on Wednesday will take place in the same way.
The Pope himself tested negative for the virus after he fell ill on Ash Wednesday with symptoms of a cold including a cough, fever and sore throat .
Vatican City confirmed its first case of coronavirus on Friday after a patient tested positive for COVID-19.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said all non-essential services at the clinic within the city-state had been suspended while the premises were disinfected, Sky News reports.
The last time something similar happened was in 1981, after Pope John Paul II's attempted assassination.
Pope Wojtyla recited the Angelus at the radio, instead of looking out of the window, according to Il Giornale.
The number of coronavirus cases in Italy has risen above 5,800, The Guardian reports.
The Italian Government has passed a motion locking down the entire region of Lombardy and other nearby provinces, effectively quarantining 16 million people.
News of the impending quarantine was leaked to media yesterday evening, prompting chaos as people rushed to get out of the region before the lockdown was imposed.
Hundreds of panicked travellers rushed to Milan's central station - some of them even without a ticket, as Giornale di Sicilia reports - to catch the last trains towards the south of Italy.
Trenitalia employees at Rome's Termini station said trains to and from Milan are currently working regularly, but it is not clear whether different measures will be announced in the following hours.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the whole country.
Milan and Venice, as well as other tourist destinations, are affected.
After the PM's announcement, the Colosseum - which last year became the most visited monument in the world, according to Il Giornale - has been closed to the public.
The measures, the most radical taken outside China, will last until 3 April.
