'United with Christ we are never alone': Pope Francis prays to end the coronavirus crisis in Rome

Pope Francis made a short but intense pilgrimage through the streets of Rome on Sunday, to pray to end the public health crisis triggered by the spread of the new coronavirus that has upset life in the city and throughout Italy.

A statement by the director of the Holy See press office, Matteo Bruni, on Sunday afternoon explained that Pope Francis went for the first time to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore - the main Marian basilica in the city - to pray before the icon of the Madonna Salus populi Romani.

Then he took a short walk along the Via del Corso to the basilica of San Marcello, where the crucifix that the Roman faithful with the members of the order of the Servites carried on the streets of Rome hit by the plague in 1522 - according to some reports, above and against objections and attempts by the authorities to stop the procession because of the risk to public health - in San Pietro, ending the plague.

"With his prayer," read the press release, "the Holy Father invoked [sic] the end of the pandemic affecting Italy and the world, pleaded for healing for the many sick, he recalled many victims these days and asked that their family and friends find consolation and comfort. "

Bruni went on to say: “The intention of [Pope Francis] was also addressed to health workers: doctors, nurses; and, to those who guarantee the functioning of the company with their work these days ".

On Sunday, Pope Francis prayed for the Angelus. He recited the traditional noon Marian devotional act in the library of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, observing with gratitude and admiration in view of the prayer on the enormous dedication and creativity that many priests showed during the first days of the crisis.

"I would like to thank all the priests, the creativity of the priests," said Pope Francis, noting in particular the response of the priests in the Italian Lombardy region, which is the area most affected by the virus so far. "Many relationships continue to reach me from Lombardy, attesting to this creativity," continued Francis. "It is true that Lombardy has been seriously affected", but there the priests, "continue to think of a thousand different ways of being close to their people, so people do not feel abandoned".

After the Angelus, Pope Francis said: "In this pandemic situation, in which we find ourselves living more or less isolated, we are invited to rediscover and deepen the value of the communion that unites all members of the Church". The Pope reminded the faithful that this communion is real and hierarchical. "United with Christ we are never alone, but we form a single Body, of which He is the Head."

Francis also spoke of the need to recover an appreciation for the practice of spiritual communion.

"It is a union that is nourished by prayer and also by spiritual communion in the Eucharist," said Pope Francis, "a highly recommended practice when it is not possible to receive the sacrament". Francis offered advice both in general and with particular regard to those who are physically isolated for the time being. "This I say for everyone, especially for people who live alone," explained Francis.

At this time, masses in Italy are closed to the faithful until April 3.

A previous statement from the Holy See press office on Sunday says that the physical presence of the faithful at Holy Week celebrations in the Vatican remains uncertain. "As for the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week," said Bruni in response to questions from journalists, "I can specify that they are all confirmed. Implementation and participation methods are currently being studied, which respect the security measures put in place to avoid the spread of coronavirus. "

Bruni then continued, "These methods will be communicated as soon as they are defined, in line with the evolution of the epidemiological situation". He said Holy Week celebrations will still be broadcast live on radio and television around the world and streamed on the Vatican News website.

The ingenuity and inventiveness of which Pope Francis spoke are in part in response to the cancellation of public liturgies throughout Italy, an integral part of "social distancing" efforts which include serious restrictions on trade and movement designed to slow down the spread of the new coronavirus, a contagious virus that particularly affects the elderly and those with underlying health problems.

In Rome, parish and mission churches remain open for private prayer and devotion, but priests are saying mass without faithful. In the midst of an unprecedented interruption of life and trade in the Italian peninsula and islands in peacetime, the shepherds are turning to technology as part of their response to the spiritual side of the crisis. The (no) mass effect, in short, could actually bring some people back to the practice of faith.

"Yesterday [Saturday] I concelebrated with a group of priests, who streamed the Mass", coming from the parish of Santa Maria Addolorata - Our Lady of Sorrows - just off the Via Prenestina, said Father Philip Larrey, an American priest who serves in Rome and holds the chair of logic and epistemology at the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome. "There were 170 people online," he said, "practically a record for a weekday mass."

Many parishes also stream their masses and other devotions.

In the parish of Sant'Ignazio di Antiochia at the statuary of this journalist, the pastor, Don Jess Marano, also streamed the Via Crucis on Friday. Last Friday's Via Crucis had 216 views, while this Sunday's Mass video had nearly 400.

Pope Francis celebrated mass every day in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae at 7:00 am Rome time (6am London), usually with some concelebrants, but without the faithful. Vatican Media provides live streaming and individual videos for playback.

This Sunday, Pope Francis offered Mass in particular for all those who work to make things work.

"On this Sunday of Lent," offered Pope Francis at the beginning of the mass, "let us all pray together for the sick, for the people who suffer." So, Francis said, “[T] today I would like to offer a special prayer for all those who guarantee the proper functioning of society: pharmacy workers, supermarket workers, transport workers, policemen.

"We pray for all those", continued Pope Francis, "who are working to make sure that at this moment, social life - city life - can continue".

When it comes to pastoral accompaniment of the faithful in this time of crisis, the real questions do not imply so much what to do, but how to do it.

How to bring the sick, the elderly and the confinement - those not (yet) infected - the sacraments, without exposing them to the risk of infection? It is also possible? When is it right to take the risk? Several parishes have invited those who are well to seek the sacraments - especially Confession and Holy Communion - to church outside of Mass. This is all beyond real difficult questions about what a priest should do if he receives a call from a penitent on the door of death.

A letter that leaked to the press, according to what was reported by the hand of Pope Francis' personal secretary, Mgr. Youannis Lahzi Gaid, briefly put the question: “I think of the people who will surely abandon the Church when this nightmare is over, because the Church abandoned them when they were in need, "Crux reported while writing. "You can never say, 'I won't go to a church that didn't come to me when I needed it."

The latest data from Italy show that coronavirus continues to spread.

The number of active cases rose from 17.750 on Saturday to 20.603 on Sunday. The number of those previously infected and now declared free of the virus also went from 1.966 to 2.335. The death toll rose from 1.441 to 1.809.