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Impressed moments, Tuesday, in Rome. Pope Francisco a drives a prayer for peace in aa one of the oldest basilicas in the city and participated in a ceremony with representatives of the main world religions and the president of Italy in the Capitol Square.
Pope Francis and the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as other Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim leaders, prayed together and launched The Call for Peace 2020.
The theme of the event was “No one saves himself. Peace and Fraternity” and, according to the Vatican, it comes at a time of great trial for humanity. In addition to the coronavirus pandemic that is increasingly affecting various regions of the world, there are endless wars, such as those in Syria and Yemen, but also conflicts that have resurfaced with particular violence, such as the one in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Religious leaders prayed at various locations Tuesday afternoon. The Pope and other Christians were present at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, together with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and representatives of the various Orthodox and Protestant churches.
The cult of the mosaic He was represented by Haim Korsia, the Chief Rabbi of France, who attended a service at the Great Synagogue in Rome.
Islam represented by Mohamed Abdelsalam Abdellatif, Muslim Secretary General of the High Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Buddhism eg Shoten Minegishi.
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and Anglican spiritual leader, was scheduled to attend the event but was unable to attend due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the simultaneous prayer, which lasted about an hour, everyone gathered in the presence of the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, in the Piazza del Campidoglio, where a new ceremony took place.
The international meeting of prayer for peace between the main religions of the world is followed by the proclamation The call for peace in 2020 and the lighting of the Candelabra of Peace.
The victims of the wars and the pandemic were commemorated with a minute of silence.
The Pope wore a mask for a public service for the first time
Pope Francis wore a mask in a public service for the first time on Tuesday, when he and other religious leaders attended an international prayer meeting for peace in Rome, Reuters reports, taken over by Agerpres.
The Sovereign Pontiff wore a white mask during service at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome. He previously wore a mask only in the car that took him to his weekly hearings at the Vatican.
Pope Francis has been criticized, especially on social media, for not wearing a mask in his general audience and for having relatively close contact with visitors at times.
Pope Francis removed his mask Tuesday as he read the prayer, as did the other leaders who addressed the crowd, but put it back on when he finished speaking.
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
