Pope Francis is offering his private daily Mass at his residence Casa Santa Marta for the victims of Coronavirus.
The Masses in Francis’ chapel normally welcome a small group of faithful, but due to recent measures’ taken by the Vatican, are now being kept private, without their participation.
Recently, the Vatican announced the Pope would have the Masses, in this period, available to all the world’s faithful, via streaming on Vatican Media, on weekdays, at 7 am Rome time.
This comes at a time when the Italian Bishops’ Conference has cancelled public Masses throughout the nation, until at least April 3rd, following guidelines put out by Italian authorities.
At the beginning of today’s Mass, the Holy Father expressed his closeness to those suffering, the elderly, and all those working to contain and cure the virus.
He gave special words of appreciation for all the doctors, healthcare workers and volunteers.
In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on confession and how important it is that when we confess, we do not just go in with a list of sins, but that we have true shame for our sins, and wish to make an entirely new start.
In addition to Santa Marta, the Vatican is taking other steps to discourage crowds and keep people safe. They are televising the Pope giving privately, from the papal library, his weekly Angelus and General Audience addresses.
Moreover, the Vatican Museums are now closed, along with the Vatican’s other similar museums. There have also been various guidelines implemented throughout the Vatican, to prevent the spread of the virus.
To date, one person, an external visitor, has been tested positive for Coronavirus in the Vatican. The five people the individual had contact with, are being quarantined.
For anyone interested, the Pope’s Masses at Santa Marta can be watched Live, and can be watched afterward on Vatican YouTube. Below is a link to today’s Mass.
