The six-year-old boy who prays on his knees in the street for the end of the coronavirus goes viral

"I was left with a smile on my face, with my faith and hope at 1000%, but above all I was happy to be a witness of that child's love and trust towards God," said the photographer who caught the 'moment.

This story happened on Junin Street, in the city of Guadalupe, in the region of La Libertad, in northwestern Peru (even the address of this Peruvian city seems to be taken from a script from a film!). It was in this place that the image of a child kneeling alone in the middle of the street managed to move the heart of entire social networks, because deep down he humbly asked God to end this oppression that shakes the whole world: the pandemic of coronavirus, a situation that even led Latin America to consecrate itself to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

At least that's the explanation given by Claudia Alejandra Mora Abanto, who took the photo of the special moment of this young boy on the street during the curfew and childbirth. He later talked about it on his Facebook account and kindly granted Aleteia permission to use the image:

“Today in the neighborhood we gathered to pray and ask God for help for the emergency situation we are experiencing, so that we can share hope and faith. I took advantage of the minutes before people went out to their door to pray, to take a picture of all the candles. It was a satisfying moment when I found this guy and, taking advantage of his concentration, I took the photo. "

"Then I asked him what he was doing and he, in his innocence, replied that he was asking God for a wish on his own, and that he went out because there was a lot of noise in his home, so otherwise his desire would not have be satisfied, "he continued.

Claudia concludes: “I was left with a smile on my face, with my faith and hope at 1000%, but above all I was happy to witness the love and trust of that child towards God. How beautiful it is that these virtues are instilled in them, even in difficult times. "

It was later revealed, thanks to a report published by the Peruvian outlet's RPP, that the boy's name is Alen Castañeda Zelada. He is six years old and has made this decision to go out into the streets to pray to God because of the love he has for his grandparents, whom he has not seen since childbirth began in Peru.

"(I) pray that (God) will take care of those who have this disease. I'm asking for no one to go out, many seniors die from this disease, "said the boy, according to the Peruvian statement.

For his part, the boy's father also made it clear to the local press that his son wanted to go out to the street for a moment to pray because of the noise of the house.

"We are a Catholic family and I was quite surprised (...). My son is a six year old boy and I didn't think he would react this way, it was a surprise for all of us, "he said.

"In the hands of God"

This particular scene of Alen praying for the end of the coronavirus also takes place in the context of a neighborhood where prayer is public and unashamed. Several neighborhood members coordinate to create a prayer chain every night, and many of them come out of their homes to pray together, even if from a distance.