The Holy Father telephoned Italian television to express his solidarity with all those affected by the pandemic.
On April 10, 2020, the voice of Pope Francis echoed unexpectedly in the studio of the Italian public broadcaster Rai and in the homes of viewers watching “In Your Image” on Good Friday. TV presenter Lorena Bianchetti did not hide her emotions when, at the end of the program, she received a phone call and recognized the voice of the Holy Father. She thanked him for all his closeness and asked questions about how he was going through these days.
“Today, at this moment, I reflect on the crucified Lord and the many crucified throughout history, as well as those pandemic-crucified today: doctors, nurses, nuns, priests who died as soldiers at the front, who gave their lives for love, enduring like Mary under the cross. Even today, there are those that are dying out of love; these are the thoughts that come to me these days,” said the Pope, who was preparing to celebrate the Liturgy of the Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Holy Father assured in his closeness with the people of God, with those who suffer most, first of all, with the “victims of this pandemic and the pains of the world,” but emphasized that his gaze is turned to heaven, “to hope, because hope does not disappoint: it is does not take away the pain, but it does not disappoint. ” He recalled that the Pascha events end with resurrection and peace. However, it is not about “happy end,” but about the sacrifice of love that helps us to go through the difficult path which the Lord had walked before us, and “this comforts and empowers us.”
The UGCC Department for Information