Pope: virus finds all of us fragile and disoriented

Praying in a desolately empty St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis on Friday likened the coronavirus pandemic to a storm laying bare illusions that people can be self-sufficient and instead finds "all of us fragile and disoriented" and needing each other's help and comfort.

As rain soaked the cobblestone square, Francis stood on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica and delivered a special blessing, usually reserved for two times of the year — on Christmas and at Easter.

In imparting the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing — Latin for 'the city and to the world' — the pope prayed: "Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts.

Referring to the 17th-century colonnade delineating the square, Francis also prayed that "From this colonnade that embraces Rome and the whole world, may God's blessing come down upon you as a consoling embrace."

The Vatican has said that the faithful can receive what's known as a plenary indulgence — a lifting of temporal punishment — from sin with the special blessing, providing they meet other conditions, like going to confession or receiving Communion as soon as they can.

The Holy See has confirmed four cases of COVID-19 in the tiny independent city state in the middle of Rome.

It has declined to say if Francis, 83, who a few weeks ago had a cold, has been tested for COVID-19, and if so, what the result was. Among the Vatican's confirmed cases is an Italian prelate who lives at a Vatican hotel where Francis resides.

COVID-19 can cause mild or moderate symptoms, like fever and cough. But a small percentage of sufferers are hospitalized with pneumonia in intensive care.

The new coronavirus has caused a global pandemic that has sickened at least 566000, killed 25000 worldwide, crippled economies and forced restrictions on the movement of millions of people in an effort to stop the virus from spreading further and overwhelming health care systems.