POPE FRANCIS and Catholics around the world have united in prayer against coronavirus.
The Pontiff was joined by believers all over the world in praying the rosary on Thursday asking for the pandemic to end.
In efforts coordinated by bishops across Italy, Catholics were asked to say the rosary from their homes at around 9pm.
They were also instructed to place a lighted candle in the windows of their homes as a further sign of national unity.
What started as a planned Italy-wide initiative soon spread around the world thanks to social media, with Catholics from every corner of the planet joining the prayer as a show of support.
As part of the prayer, Pope Francis, who is living in seclusion in the Vatican, spoke via a video link as the prayer began.
“In this unprecedented situation, when everything seems to be vacillating, let us help each other remain steady in what really matters,” he said.
Last weekend, the Pope took to the empty streets of Rome to pray at two Catholic shrines for the end of the coronavirus outbreak.
A total of 3,405 people have died from coronavirus in Italy since the beginning of the outbreak in the country on February 21.
It’s a toll that has seen the country overtake China, where 3,245 people have died since January.
The Vatican has already announced that its traditional Easter services will be held without the public and broadcast on television and online instead.
