Vatican City, 10 April, 2020 / 7:20 pm (ACI Africa).
“I am close, I am close to you all,” Pope Francis said on Good Friday, making a surprise call-in to a live Italian television program.
“Good evening, Lorena. How are you?” the pope said to the visibly surprised host of a religious show called “A sua immagine” (“In His image”), on Italy’s Rai 1 channel.
The pope called the show during the airing of a special for Good Friday. He has been celebrating the Holy Week liturgies in St. Peter’s Basilica without the presence of the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On the TV program, Francis said that during Holy Week he was thinking about Christ’s crucifixion and the many sacrifices men and women were making during the global health emergency caused by COVID-19.
“In these days, I am thinking about our crucified Lord. And the stories of the many crucified people, those of history and those of today, [in] this pandemic: the doctors, nurses, religious sisters, priests, who have died at the ‘frontlines’ like soldiers,” he said.
