Statio Orbis, the mosaic of a "universal" prayer

By Alessandro De Carolis 

The scene of the Pope praying for the world during the Statio Orbis on 27 March 2020, has remained in our hearts.

And that concrete prayer, evoked by the Covid-19 pandemic, can help us alleviate the anxieties of the new crisis caused by the war in Eastern Europe, without forgetting the other conflicts on the planet. It is as if the Statio Orbis of two years ago continues to make itself relevant today, repeating with undiminished hope that appeal of Pope Francis: "Now, as we stand in rough seas, we implore you: 'Wake up Lord!'"

Various ecclesial organizations have taken the images filmed by Vatican Media on the evening of March 27, 2020 - the loneliness dense with presence around the Pope, the kiss at the feet of the rain-drenched Crucifix - reworking them in ways that go beyond the result of a simple commemoration.

Here is a series of these productions, beginning with the video by the Apostleship of Prayer:

"On this boat... are all of us" thus begins the video in four languages (Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese), produced by the Latin American Bishops' Council (CELAM) and the Church Conference of the Amazon (Ceama)

Deserted cities, masked doctors, people in cars getting swabs, ambulance sirens, an increasingly frantic montage comes to a halt on the date of March 27, from where we see the Pope's slow ascent to St. Peter's square. Thus begins the five-language video by Detroit-based Digital Continent Productions:

Added to the videos is a photo montage edited by the Association of Friends of Pope Francis, which launched the #allone campaign, playing on the word ("alone") transformed into "al(I)one,"-  a call to huddle together "all for one" amid the storms of the world.