Pope Francis gives an extraordianry urbi et orbi blessing in St. Peter's Square, March 27, 2020. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 19:00 pm (CNA).Pope Francis' historic "Statio Orbis" blessing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic remains relevant for the Church as it did five years ago. Before an empty and rain-covered St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis held Eucharistic adoration and gave an extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.The Holy Hour on March 27, 2020, included a reading from the Gospel and a meditation by Pope Francis, who spoke about faith and trust in God during a time when people fear for their lives, as did the disciples when their boat was caught in a violent storm.Pope Francis gives an extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing from the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica on March 27, 2020. Credit: Vatican MediaDuring the special moment of prayer on March 27, 2020, the Holy Father spoke about ...
Pope Francis gives an extraordianry urbi et orbi blessing in St. Peter's Square, March 27, 2020. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 19:00 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis' historic "Statio Orbis" blessing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic remains relevant for the Church as it did five years ago. Before an empty and rain-covered St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis held Eucharistic adoration and gave an extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Holy Hour on March 27, 2020, included a reading from the Gospel and a meditation by Pope Francis, who spoke about faith and trust in God during a time when people fear for their lives, as did the disciples when their boat was caught in a violent storm.
Pope Francis gives an extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing from the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica on March 27, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media
These powerful words were a papal refrain throughout his 2020 address before an empty St. Peter's Square.
"'Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?' Lord, your word this evening strikes us and regards us, all of us. In this world, that you love more than we do, we have gone ahead at breakneck speed, feeling powerful and able to do anything. Greedy for profit, we let ourselves get caught up in things and lured away by haste," he prayed.
Pope Francis implored people to believe in God's presence during the time of COVID-19 when he spoke of Jesus' reaction to the cry of the disciples: "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" recorded in chapter 4 of St. Mark's Gospel.
Pope Francis speaks in an empty St. Peter's Square during a Holy Hour and extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing, March 27, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media
The pandemic's impact on the life of the Church is yet to be fully researched and understood.
Recent studies from around the world suggest a decline in Church attendance in some regions. A new Pew study shows thousands of people have chosen to leave behind the religion of their childhood in some of the traditionally Catholic countries such as Italy and Spain.
At the same time, the study acknowledges the report's figures "are not necessarily representative of the entire world's population."
A growing Church
While religious belief and practice may seem to be weakening in some parts of the world, the Holy Father's "Statio Orbis" prayer five years ago can still resonate with millions of people of faith who trust and hope in God's presence in times of world suffering and hardship.
According to the Vatican's 2025 Annuario Pontificio, the Catholic Church has grown worldwide after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the highest growth recorded in Africa.
Pope Francis venerates the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello al Corso in St. Peter's Square during his urbi et orbi blessing on March 27, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media
Between 2022 and 2023, the global Catholic population has grown from approximately 1.39 billion Catholics to 1.406 billion in the last two years. In Africa alone, the Catholic population increased by 3.31%, from 272 million in 2022 to 281 million in 2023.
As Pope Francis said on this day five years ago: "You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: 'Do not be afraid' (Mt 28:5). And we, together with Peter, 'cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us' (cf. 1 Pt 5:7)."
Pope Leo XIV prays at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025 / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Deutsch, May 10, 2025 / 13:42 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited and prayed at a Marian shrine outside of Rome, greeting the community there and urging them to "be faithful to the Mother."The Holy Father visited the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano on Saturday afternoon. The sanctuary, located about an hour east of Rome, is run by the religious of the Order of St. Augustine and "houses an ancient image of the Virgin, dear to the Order and to the memory of Leo XIII," according to the Vatican.Pope Leo XIV visits the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Credit: Vatican MediaThe pope greeted the religious at the shrine before praying at both the altar and the Marian image there, according to the Vatican. The Holy Father also prayed St. John Paul II's prayer to the Mother of Good Cou...
An activist protests on Capitol Hill July 22, 2015 in Washington, DC. Members of the San Carlos Apache Nation and other activists gathered to protest the a section of the National Defense Authorization Act that would turn over parts of Oak Flat that are sacred to the Apache to a foreign copper mining company. / Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesCNA Newsroom, May 10, 2025 / 11:45 am (CNA).An effort backed by the U.S. bishops to protect a centuries-old Native American religious site from destruction scored a win in federal court on Friday when a district judge blocked the sale of the location while the matter is considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.U.S. District Judge Steven Logan said in the Friday order that the federal government would be prohibited from selling the Oak Flat site in Arizona while the coalition group Apache Stronghold waits for the Supreme Court to potentially consider its case.The federal government several years ago moved to transfer Oak Flat to ...
Americans gather in St. Peter's Square on May 8, 2025, to celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAVatican City, May 9, 2025 / 18:28 pm (CNA).Americans gathered in St. Peter's Square on May 8 to celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States. Born Robert Francis Prevost on Chicago's South Side, the 69-year-old Augustinian friar was chosen by the College of Cardinals after just two days of conclave. While American flags were scarce among the sea of international banners, those present from the U.S. lingered in the square long after the Holy Father appeared out on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica for the first time. They shared prayers, chants, and reflections on the unprecedented moment. "Never in a million years did I think that the Holy Spirit would send us a beautiful cardinal from Chicago," said Deacon Steven Marcus, a Maronite Catholic from Florida. "You ...
Pope Francis gives an extraordianry urbi et orbi blessing in St. Peter's Square, March 27, 2020. / Credit: Vatican Media
