Remembering the Extraordinary Moment of Prayer to end the pandemic

By Vatican News staff writer

With this brief video, the Vatican's COVID-19 Commission and the Dicastery for Communication commemorate the second anniversary of the Extraordinary Moment of Prayer in Time of Pandemic. The images from 27 March 2020, of Pope Francis in an empty St. Peter's Square presiding over the global moment of prayer became symbolic and stark images of the world shock at the time when the pandemic had reached an acute phase early in its deadly spread. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a defining crisis of this generation, revealing the inequalities and injustices that threaten people’s well-being, safety, and lives, as well as adding to the challenges posed by pre-existing economic, ecological, political, and social crisis that disproportionately impact the poor worldwide. For this reason, two years ago, Pope Francis asked the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) to create a Commission, in collaboration with other Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and other organizations, to express the Church’s closeness and care for the whole human family as it faces the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Over these past two years, the Commission has drawn on the expertise of local communities, global platforms, and academic experts, in order to come up with bold, broad changes concerning dignity in work, new structures for the common good, solidarity at the heart of governance, and nature in harmony with social systems. The goal is not only to alleviate immediate suffering, but also to usher in the transformation of hearts, minds, and structures toward a new model of development that prepares a better future for all.

The Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV), the Vatican's publishing house, produced a photo book on the Extraordinary Moment of Prayer in Time of Pandemic. Pope Francis mentioned this at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus. Directors and staff of the Dicastery for Communication distributed an estimated ten thousand copies freely to pilgrims present in St. Peter's Square for the Angelus, together with a copy of the text of Pope Francis' prayer for the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.