With many churches closing around the world, the pope asked priests to rack their brains for ways to stay close to the people.
POPE FRANCIS
March 13, 2020
“May they not abandon the holy, faithful people of God.”
He was the first one to preach by example. He opened the doors of his residence to television cameras so his daily Mass could be followed via streaming.
The public health emergency has sparked the creativity of many priests, evident in scenes like this one. This priest hears confession in the street, always from a prudent distance. Another priest asked his parishioners for pictures to place in the pews at their parish. That way he would pray for them and symbolically close the gap between them. Other priests also turned to streaming to broadcast Masses and other liturgical celebrations.
That's not all. Being locked up at home impels those with a shortage of spiritual reading material to turn to audios available on apps, websites and YouTube channels. Among them are “10 Minutes with Jesus,” which offers daily reflections in English and Spanish.
Javier Romero
Translation: Claudia Torres
