Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful virtually, yet again. He announced two important events to take place in the coming week.
Wednesday, he invited all Christian dominations to participate in praying the Our Father at noon, Rome time.
POPE FRANCIS
I invite everyone to pray it many times a day, but everyone together, let us pray the Our Father on Wednesday, March 25 at noon. Everyone together.
From there, he also announced a rare event: he will give an Urbi et Orbi blessing, given very sparingly. It will take place on Friday, March 27 at 6 p.m., Rome time to an empty St. Peter's Square.
POPE FRANCIS
I invite everyone to participate spiritually through the various means of communication. We will listen to the Word of God, lift our intentions, adore the Blessed Sacrament, and at the end, I will give the Urbi et Orbi Blessing, with the possibility to receive a plenary indulgence.
Pope Francis also reflected on the Gospel of the day, in which the blind man was healed by Jesus. The pope focused on the theme “light.”
POPE FRANCIS
His journey of illumination is a metaphor for the path of liberation of sin to which we are called. Sin is a dark veil that covers our eyes.
It is God's forgiveness and mercy which destroys the culture of darkness in the world and brings with it a new light. He explained that during this Lenten season, Christians have time to get closer to Christ and experience this mercy.
At the end of the prayer, he went to the window where he normally recites the Angelus and blessed an empty St. Peter's Square. It is a sign of solidarity in the midst of the pandemic.
Melissa Butz
