Easter Mass of Pope Francis

Today, April 4, Catholics, Protestants and representatives of some other branches of Christianity celebrate one of the main holidays – Easter. For the second year in a row due to the pandemic, Pope Francis celebrated Sunday Mass in the absence of a large crowd of believers, Reuters reported.

Usually at least 100 thousand pilgrims gather in the square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Today, just like a year ago, the pontiff held an Easter service inside the cathedral, in the presence of only 200 people. The service was broadcast online, and everyone could hear the words of the Pope.

Part of the time of his address this year, Francis devoted to the problems with the coronavirus. He called it unacceptable to spend public funds during this period on conflicts and weapons, urging world leaders to pay due attention to the distribution of vaccines, including helping the population of poor countries. In his Sunday traditional message Urbi et Orbi, the Pope stressed:

The pandemic is not over yet, while social and economic crises remain extremely serious, especially for the poor.

The head of the Catholic Church blessed the faithful, expressed his condolences and support to those who lost their relatives, and prayed for the recovery of the sick. Talking about priorities and existing problems, Francis called on the authorities to provide necessary for those families who were left without a livelihood due to the loss of jobs due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Pope paid special attention to the doctors – he thanked them for their selfless work in the difficult conditions of the pandemic, for saving human lives. The Pope supported the students and schoolchildren, who this year have to master science and gain knowledge in unusual conditions.

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