Pope calls for solidarity in virus fight
POPE Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, called for global solidarity to confront the challenge of Covid-19, in his Easter address on Sunday.
The 83-year-old pontiff was addressing the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics from St Peter’s Basilica, at a ceremony attended by only a handful of priests.
The Easter Sunday mass usually attracts up to 100 000 people to St Peter’s Square – a large plaza located in front of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.
Aljazeera.com reported that Pope Francis broke with centuries of tradition to live stream the mass amid lockdowns that forced the world’s Catholics to improvise on their holiest day.
According to www.vaticannews. va, no banner hung from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica; no bands played the Vatican anthem; and no floral arrangements decorated St Peter’s Square.
“… For many, this is an Easter of solitude, lived amid the sorrow and hardship that the pandemic is causing, from physical suffering to economic difficulties,” Pope Francis reportedly said.
“This disease has not only deprived us of human closeness but also of the possibility of receiving in person the consolation that flows from the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation. But the Lord has not left us alone. United in our prayer, we are convinced that He has laid His hand upon us.”
Pope Francis urged political leaders, in particular, to give hope and opportunity to laid-off workers and called for sanctions relief, debt forgiveness and ceasefires to calm conflicts and financial crises.
He also offered thanks and encouragement to doctors and nurses who have worked to the point of exhaustion, and not infrequently, at the expense of their own health.
Another news service, abcnews. go.com reported that the pope urged the faithful to pray for the sick.
The bbc.com reported that he expressed particular concern for the future of Europe. He warned that the EU risked collapse if it did not agree on how to help the region recover.
EU nations have been divided over how to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic, with wealthier nations, including Germany and the Netherlands blocking some demands from Spain and Italy, the region’s hardest-hit so far.
The pontiff said it was more important than ever that rivalries that existed before World War II did not regain force, adding: “The European Union is presently facing an epochal challenge, on which will depend not only its future but that of the whole world.”
Pope Francis concluded his Urbi et Orbi message (papal address) with a prayer: “May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of His glorious day. A day that knows no end.”