Pope announces extraordinary Urbi
et Orbi blessing
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| Pope Francis prays the Sunday Angelus from the Apostolic Library in the Vatican |
At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis invited all
Christians to join together in praying the Our Father as a response to the
Covid-19 pandemic.
By Christopher Wells
Pope Francis on Sunday called for all Christians to respond
to the coronavirus pandemic “with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of
tenderness”, adding, “Let us remain united. Let us make our closeness felt
toward those persons who are the most lonely and tried”.
Speaking after the traditional recitation of the Angelus,
the Holy Father called on all Christians to join together in prayer. “In these
trying days, while humanity trembles due to the thread of the pandemic, I would
like to propose to all Christians that together we lift our voices towards
Heaven,” he said.
The “Our Father” on the Annunciation
On Wednesday, 25 March, the feast of the Annunciation, he
has invited “the Heads of the Churches and the leaders of every Christian
community, together with all Christians of the various confessions, to invoke
the Almighty, the omnipotent God, to recite at the same time the prayer that
Jesus, our Lord, taught us” – the Our Father. “On that day on which
many Christians recall the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation
of the Word”, Pope Francis prayed, “may the Lord listen to the united prayer of
all of His disciples who are preparing themselves to celebrate the victory of
the Risen Christ”.
A special Urbi et Orbi blessing
The Pope also announced that on the following Friday, 27
March, he will preside over a moment of prayer on the sagrato of
St Peter’s Basilica, the platform at the top of the steps immediately in front
of the façade of the Church. “I invite everyone to participate spiritually
through the means of communication”, he said.
The ceremony will consist in readings from the Scriptures,
prayers of supplication, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; and will
conclude with Pope Francis giving the Urbi et orbi Blessing,
with the possibility of gaining a plenary indulgence for all those who listen
to it live through the various forms of communication. The blessing “to the
City [of Rome] and to the World” is normally only given on Christmas and
Easter.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office confirmed that the
moment of prayer on Friday will be broadcast live from the Vatican, beginning
at 6 pm Rome time. He noted that the plenary indulgence attached to the Urbi
et orbi blessing is subject to the conditions foreseen by the
recent Decree of
the Apostolic Penitentiary.
Prayers for Croatia
At the close of his remarks following the Angelus, Pope
Francis expressed his closeness to the people of Croatia, which was struck by
magnitude 5.4 earthquake Sunday morning. The Holy Father prayed, "May the
Risen Lord give them the strength and solidarity to face this calamity".
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