In a message sent July 28, Pope Francis has offered his blessing to a group that meets every day on Zoom to pray the Rosary for people affected by COVID-19.
“Thank you very much for praying the Rosary,” the Bishop of Rome told them. “To you and to all the friends of Entretiempo, I send you a cordial greeting and my blessing."
Entretiempo is based in Argentina. The group began praying the Rosary each day in June for those suffering from CPVID. What began as a gathering of some 100 people quickly became a group of 200.
On July 27, Rodrigo Fernández Madero, the organizer of the initiative, sent an email to Pope Francis explaining how, every day for the past two months, the group has been meeting online to pray the Rosary together for all those fighting against the pandemic.
Less than 24 hours later Fernández had a reply message, with a photo of a handwritten note in which Pope Francis offered his blessing and encouraged them to continue.
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"It seems to me that it is a gesture of immense love on his part, to have taken the time, so quickly, in the midst of all he has to do, to take care of this part of the Church of Buenos Aires," Fernández said in an interview with the Catholic news agency AICA. “It is a beautiful gesture in this period when we talk a lot about the pope; this shows that he is close to Argentines, that he prays for us, that he accompanies us."
Fernández explained that their initiative started spontaneously on June 3, 2021, when two friends from the Entretiempo community started having complications from COVID-19.
In fact, he continued, Pope Francis' message was "very heartwarming spiritually" as it came at the time of the death of one of the people they were praying for. The wife of the victim, who also participates in the recitation of the Rosary, was very moved to have received a blessing from the Pontiff.
Argentina recently passed 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, amid an upsurge in cases. About 15% of the population has been fully vaccinated in this country of around 45 million people.
