Update: March 23
Pope asks for prayers worldwide, March 25 and March 28
On Wednesday, March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, Pope Francis is asking Christians around the world to pray the Our Father at noon (7 a.m.Miami time), as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In these trying days, while humanity trembles due to the threat of the pandemic, I would like to propose to all Christians that together we lift our voices towards heaven,” he said after reciting the Angelus March 22. He suggested the Our Father, “the prayer that Jesus, our Lord, taught us.”
He also announced that on Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. Miami time), he will preside over a moment of prayer on the front steps of St. Peter’s Basilica. The ceremony will consist of readings from the scriptures, prayers of supplication, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It will conclude with Pope Francis giving a special Urbi et Orbi Blessing.
All those who listen to the prayer service live through the various forms of communication will have the possibility of gaining a plenary indulgence. The Urbi et Orbi Blessing — “to the City [of Rome] and to the World” — is normally only given on Christmas and East.
