The pope joins interreligious prayer, imploring God to end the pandemic

At a time of global "tragedy and suffering" because of the coronavirus, and in view of the long-term impact it will have, believers of all religions should seek mercy from the one God and father of all, said Pope Francis.

During his morning Mass, Pope Francis joined leaders of all religions, marking May 14 as a day of prayer, fasting and acts of charity to ask God to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

Some people might think, "It didn't affect me; thank god I'm safe. 'But think of the others! Think about the tragedy and also about the economic consequences, the consequences on education, "said the pope in his homily.

"That's why everyone, brothers and sisters of all religious traditions are praying to God today," he said.

The day of prayer was requested by the Superior Committee of the Human Fraternity, an international group of religious leaders formed after Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, the great imam of al-Azhar, signed a document in 2019 on promoting dialogue and "human fraternity."

During the Pope's mass, streamed from the Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel, he said he could imagine that some people would say that gathering believers of all religions to pray for a common cause "is religious relativism and you can't do it" .

"But how can you not pray to the Father of all?" churches.

"We are all united as human beings, as brothers and sisters, who pray to God each according to our culture, traditions and beliefs, but brothers and sisters who pray to God," said the Pope. "This is important: brothers and sisters fast, asking God to forgive our sins so that the Lord has mercy on us, that the Lord forgives us, that the Lord stops this pandemic."

But Pope Francis also asked people to look beyond the coronavirus pandemic and recognize that there are other serious situations that lead to death for millions of people.

“In the first four months of this year, 3,7 million people died of starvation. There is a hunger pandemic, "he said, so when they asked God to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, believers should not forget about the" war, hunger pandemic "and many other ills that spread death. .

"May God stop this tragedy, stop this pandemic," he prayed. “May God have mercy on us and also stop other terrible pandemics: those of hunger, of war, of children without education. And we ask for it as brothers and sisters, all together. May God bless us and have mercy on us. "