Pope opens Holy Week amid pandemic; says now is the time to serve
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Splash
    • Videos
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Sunday
July 03, 2022

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Splash
    • Videos
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
SUNDAY, JULY 03, 2022
Pope opens Holy Week amid pandemic; says now is the time to serve

World+Biz

Reuters
05 April, 2020, 05:40 pm
Last modified: 05 April, 2020, 05:42 pm

Related News

  • Pope names 21 new cardinals, putting stamp on Church's future
  • Pope condemns cruelty of Ukraine war at Easter vigil service
  • Pope Francis for the first time implicitly criticises Putin over Ukraine
  • Pope apologises to indigenous Canadians for wrongs at residential schools
  • Pope says 'slaughters and atrocities' committed daily in Ukraine

Pope opens Holy Week amid pandemic; says now is the time to serve

The symbolic procession was only several meters long and a few potted olive trees were brought in

Reuters
05 April, 2020, 05:40 pm
Last modified: 05 April, 2020, 05:42 pm
Pope Francis leads the Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's Basilica without public participation due to the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Vatican April 5, 2020. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Pope Francis leads the Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's Basilica without public participation due to the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Vatican April 5, 2020. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Pope Francis marked a surreal Palm Sunday in an empty St. Peter's Basilica, urging people living through the coronavirus pandemic not to be so concerned with what they lack but how they can ease the suffering of others.

The service, kicking off Holy Week events leading to Easter, usually attracts tens of thousands of people to a St. Peter's Square bedecked with olive and palm trees. The service normally includes a long procession of cardinals, priests and faithful carrying palm fronds.

This time, it was held from a secondary altar behind the main one Francis normally uses and attended by only about two dozen people, including a few aides, nuns and a scaled-down choir, all practicing social distancing.

The symbolic procession was only several meters long and a few potted olive trees were brought in.

The Mass was broadcast on television and over the internet to many millions. Churches in countries around the world were holding similar, virtual services this week because of restrictions on gatherings.

Cutting a solitary figure, Francis listened as three priests read the gospel account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and being hailed as the messiah.

Holy Week marks the period when Christians commemorate events surrounding the key tenets of their faith - that Jesus was betrayed, crucified and rose from the dead.

In his sermon, Francis urged his listeners to turn to God "in the tragedy of a pandemic, in the face of the many false securities that have now crumbled, in the face of so many hopes betrayed, in the sense of abandonment that weighs upon our hearts".

The pandemic could help transform fear into service, he said.

The Vatican has been in its own lockdown, mostly mirroring that in Italy, where more than 15,500 people have died since the outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic in northern Italy on Feb. 21.

There are nearly 125,000 cases of the virus in Italy and seven in the Vatican. The pope and his closest aides have tested negative.

"The tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. For life is measured by love," Francis said on Sunday.

"May we reach out to those who are suffering and those most in need. May we not be concerned about what we lack, but what good we can do for others," he said.

All of the pope's Holy Week services, which normally draw tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists to Rome, will take place in the empty basilica in a scaled-down version.

The Good Friday Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession, which normally takes place around Rome's Colosseum, will instead be held in the relatively small atrium of the basilica

Pope Francis

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Export earnings hit record high $52.08B in FY22
    Export earnings hit record high $52.08B in FY22
  • Remittance inflow down by 15% in FY22 
    Remittance inflow down by 15% in FY22 
  • Photo of Bangladesh Secretariat/Collected
    Govt stops purchasing new cars for ministries, departments

MOST VIEWED

  • A man waits in a queue to buy petrol due to fuel shortage, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 16 June 2022. File Photo: Reuters
    Sri Lanka struggling to pay for fuel shipments, minister says
  • Protesters set fire to the Libyan parliament building after protests against the failure of the government in Tobruk, Libya on 1 July 2022. Photo: Reuters
    The legitimacy crisis in Libya's political institutions
  • An emergency crew rescues two ponies from a flooded area in Milperra, Sydney metropolitan area, Australia on 3 July 2022 in this screen grab obtained from a handout video. Photo: Reuters
    Floods hit southeast Australia, forcing evacuations
  • London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean on 9 May 2022. File Photo: Reuters
    Israel shoots down Hezbollah drones heading for gas rig
  • Model Y cars are pictured during the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. Photo: Reuters
    German road traffic agency says 59,000 Tesla vehicles have software glitch
  • Flags of China and Russia are displayed in this illustration picture taken March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration
    Russian scientist dies two days after arrest for state treason, lawyer says

Related News

  • Pope names 21 new cardinals, putting stamp on Church's future
  • Pope condemns cruelty of Ukraine war at Easter vigil service
  • Pope Francis for the first time implicitly criticises Putin over Ukraine
  • Pope apologises to indigenous Canadians for wrongs at residential schools
  • Pope says 'slaughters and atrocities' committed daily in Ukraine

Features

A Glittery Eid

A Glittery Eid

5h | Mode
Rise’s target customers are people who crave to express themselves through what they wear, and their clothing line is not relegated to any age range.

Level up your Eid game with Rise

6h | Mode
Stefan Dercon, a Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford and former Chief Economist of the Department of International Development (DFID). Illustration: TBS

Renewing the ‘elite bargain’ for Bangladesh’s future growth

9h | Panorama
The eye-catching commuter: Suzuki Gixxer SF 155

The eye-catching commuter: Suzuki Gixxer SF 155

1d | Wheels

More Videos from TBS

Chirkutt performs on Fete de La Music Fest

Chirkutt performs on Fete de La Music Fest

7h | Videos
Madhuri Sanchita's seed ornaments exhibition

Madhuri Sanchita's seed ornaments exhibition

8h | Videos
Bangabandhu Tunnel to change lives of million

Bangabandhu Tunnel to change lives of million

19h | Videos
Sowari Ghat's fresh fish market

Sowari Ghat's fresh fish market

19h | Videos

Most Read

1
Padma Bridge from satellite. Photo: Screengrab
Bangladesh

Padma Bridge from satellite 

2
Meet the man behind 'Azke amar mon balo nei'
Splash

Meet the man behind 'Azke amar mon balo nei'

3
TBS Illustration
Education

Universities may launch online classes again after Eid

4
Photo: TBS
Bangladesh

Motorcycles banned on Padma Bridge 

5
Photo: Collected
Economy

Tech startup ShopUp bags $65m in Series B4 funding

6
World Bank to give Bangladesh $18b IDA loans in next five years
Economy

World Bank to give Bangladesh $18b IDA loans in next five years

EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2022
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab
BENEATH THE SURFACE
Launch operators on various river routes see a steep drop in passengers after the opening of the the Padma Bridge. Photo: TBS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net