Next General Audience to be held inside due to Rome heatwave

Image: Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

The Holy See Press Office announced on Monday afternoon that Pope Leo's General Audience this week will be held in the Paul VI Audience Hall due to the extreme Roman heat.

"Due to the high temperatures forecast, the General Audience on Wednesday, August 13, will be held in the Paul VI Hall," said a press release. "Afterwards, the Holy Father will go into St Peter's Basilica to greet those who could not find a place in the Hall and followed the audience on the screens."

The weekly Papal Audience open to the public will also be broadcast on the giant LED screens set up in St. Peter's Square.

Rome is enduring a heat wave this week. Temperatures in the Eternal City are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 13.

The Pope Paul VI Hall will be cool, because of air conditioning, powered by solar panels on the roof of the building, which were installed in 2008 during the papacy of Pope Benedict.