Pope Francis

Pope Francis Urge Christians To Reach Out To Those Suffering

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Pope Francis called on listeners in his Palm Sunday sermon on the first day of Holy Week  to “reach out to those who are suffering and those most in need” during the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reports.

His holiness delivered his message inside an empty St. Peter’s Basilica, broadcasting it over the internet to churches around the world.

Palm Sunday service at St Peters

The Vatican has mirrored Italy’s lockdown, where more than 15,000 people have died from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

In his words “The tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. For life is measured by love,” Francis said, according to Reuters.

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A prelate wearing a face mask holds a palm branch as attendees wait for the start of the Pope's Palm Sunday Mass behind closed doors in St. Peter's Basilica

He urged his listeners to turn to God “in the tragedy of a pandemic, in the face of the many false securities that have now crumbled, in the face of so many hopes betrayed, in the sense of abandonment that weighs upon our hearts.”

“May we not be concerned about what we lack, but what good we can do for others,” he said.

The pope’s Holy Week services normally draw tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists to Rome.

Man films mass in Lithuania

This year’s Holy Week will take place in the empty basilica. Religious gatherings are expected to be canceled or host smaller crowds around the world as countries encourage social distancing, though some places.

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Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels.
Many are returned to the church to be burned and used for ashes next Ash Wednesday. There is another option for those who want to something different with the palms to serve as a reminder of Jesus’s triumphant ride into Jerusalem and the start of Holy Week. This is where the ancient art of palm weaving comes in.
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