Washington D.C., Apr 4, 2020 / 12:22 pm
The novel coronavirus pandemic's effects on victims and the closure of churches have deeply pained the Catholic faithful and clergy, but Holy Week is a time to join together to seek God's mercy and love in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has said.
Gomez said he will pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Good Friday, April 10, for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. He asked Catholics to join him via internet livestream at 9 a.m. Pacific Time / noontime Eastern Time. The livestream will be hosted at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles website and the U.S. bishops' conference Facebook page.
"In the heart of Jesus, pierced as he hung on the cross on Good Friday, we see the love of God for humanity, his love for each one of us," Gomez said in an April 3 message for Holy Week.
"This Holy Week will be different. Our churches may be closed, but Christ is not quarantined and his Gospel is not in chains," he said. "Our Lord's heart remains open to every man and woman. Even though we cannot worship together, each of us can seek him in the tabernacles of our own hearts."