Vatican City - Pope Francis said on
Sunday he will this week deliver an extraordinary "Urbi et Orbi"
(to the city and the world) blessing - normally given only at
Christmas and Easter - and called for worldwide prayer to
respond to the coronavirus crisis.
Francis made the surprise announcement in his weekly Angelus
message, which he has been delivering from inside the Vatican
over the internet and television instead of before crowds in St.
Peter's Square.
His decision to make an exception and give a special "Urbi
et Orbi" blessing underscored the gravity of the situation
worldwide but particularly in Italy, which has overtaken China
as the country hardest hit by the virus outbreak.
The pope said that on Friday evening he would deliver the
extraordinary blessing from an empty St. Peter's Square. The
square, which is part of the Vatican, has been closed as part of
a lockdown in Italy to try to contain the spread of the virus.
Catholics who receive the blessing, either in person or via
the media, can, under certain conditions, receive a special
indulgence. An indulgence is remission of punishment for sins.
On Saturday Italy recorded a jump in deaths from coronavirus
of almost 800, taking the death toll in the country to nearly
5,000.
Francis also called on all Christians around the world to
stop at noon Italian time on Wednesday to pray the "Our Father"
together.
"We want to respond to the pandemic of the virus with the
universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness," he said
from the papal library. "Let's remain united".
In its latest desperate effort to halt the epidemic, the
Italian government ordered that all businesses must close until
April 3, with the exception of those essential to maintaining
the country's supply chain.