Pope Francis appeals for Syria

VATICAN, (Patria) - For the first time on Sunday, March 8, 2020, Pope Francis led the Angelus prayer via video broadcast. He made a new appeal for Syria and prayed for the victims of the coronavirus and all those who care for them.

Pope Francis encouraged believers to live this difficult period with the strength of faith, firm hope, and ardent love for their neighbor.

"May Lent, in these moments of trial and pain, help us find meaning in accordance with the Gospel," the Pope prayed.

At the beginning of his address to pilgrims, the Holy Father joked, "how strange this Angelus is with the Pope in a cage," explaining that it was necessary for health prevention, and after the prayer, he briefly greeted the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square from the window of the Apostolic Palace, Vatican News reports.

Today's passage from the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus going up Mount Tabor with Peter, James, and John gave the Pope an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the Transfiguration. The disciples realized that Jesus' human aspect did not express his full reality. The Pope noted that Jesus does not choose according to human criteria but according to his plan of love. It is a free, unconditional, and gratuitous initiative, a friendship with God, which asks for nothing in return. He calls today, as he called the three apostles, some to be close to him so that they can bear witness in a contemporary world full of selfishness and greed, where God's light is obscured by everyday worries. We make excuses that we don't have time to pray, to participate in parish activities, or to help those who ask for it, the Pope noted, adding that we should not forget that the sacraments of baptism and confirmation oblige us to do so, especially during this Lenten season.

The Pope again called for prayers for the victims of the war in Syria, expressing his closeness to all those who are working for and helping the Syrian people. He spoke of the people of northwestern Syria forced to flee and again expressed his "great concern for these helpless people, including many children, whose lives are in danger." The Pope warned that one should not turn a blind eye to this humanitarian crisis but rather place it before all other interests.

This is the first time a Pope has not prayed the Angelus publicly since the assassination attempt on St. John Paul II in May 1981, when he addressed the faithful from the Gemelli clinic via Vatican Radio. Pope Francis' address was recorded in the library of the Apostolic Palace and broadcast live through various channels to reduce the possibility of infection in groups at the checkpoints entering St. Peter's Square. This adheres to the measures of the Italian Government, which has banned gatherings where a distance of at least one meter between people cannot be maintained.

The catechesis at the general audience next Wednesday will be broadcast in the same way, and the Pope will celebrate Mass privately at the Domus Sanctae Marthae until March 15, without the participation of the faithful.

So far, only one case of coronavirus has been reported in the Vatican, and the Vatican infirmary where the patient was diagnosed is being disinfected and will reopen in the middle of next week.