Pope Francis prays alone in Saint Peter's square during coronavirus pandemic

Pope Francis on Friday stood alone in Saint Peter's square to bless Catholics around the world suffering from coronavirus outbreak. In a never seen before the incident, the Pope performed the rarely recited ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing from the steps of the basilica to an empty square, addressing millions via television, radio and social media. As per reports, the blessing which translates as 'To the City (Rome) and the World', is usually performed on three occasions, when a pope is elected, and each year at Christmas and Easter. 

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The pope speaks of armed conflict around the globe before reciting the blessing, however, on Friday he talked about the global coronavirus pandemic that has taken the world by storm. Pope also saluted the essential service providers in the time of crisis like these. He thanked medical staff, supermarket employees, police forces, volunteers, nuns and priests. On Friday, a crucifix was placed in front of Saint Peter’s, which the pope borrowed during a visit to one of the churches in the city and it is believed that the crucifix had saved Rome from the plague in the 16th century.

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Coronavirus outbreak

COVID-19 has claimed more than 30,800 lives across the world and has infected more than 6,64,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. 

Read: Coronavirus Claims More Than 30,000 Lives, Over 6,00,000 Infected Globally

The United States, France and Iran have logged in more than 2,000 deaths each with a combined tally of 7,060 as of March 28. The United Kingdom has become the seventh country to cross the 1,000 benchmark in terms of the number of deaths recorded due to the virus outbreak. Experts believe that the pandemic could easily claim over 1.8 million lives globally by the end of the year. 

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Lead Image Credit: AP