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Pope Francis on coronavirus: Rediscover importance of spending time with family

Pope Francis has special advise to all the people forced to stay at home to avoid infection as the world continues to deal with the acute outbreak of coronavirus outside.

He advised all to make the most of the coronavirus crisis by re-discovering the joy and importance of spending time with the family.

Embrace each other and communicate

In an interview with Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper, Pope Francis said during this crisis when people are forced to stay home, they should re-discover the importance of small daily “gestures of attention we can offer those close to us, our family, our friends. We must understand that in small things lies our treasure.”

The Pope said such “gestures of tenderness, affection, compassion, are minimal and tend to be lost in the anonymity of everyday life, but they are nonetheless decisive, important. For example, a hot meal, a caress, a hug, a phone call… They are familiar gestures of attention to the details of everyday life that make life meaningful and that create communion and communication amongst us”.

Pope Francis noted that in many families people have lost contact. They hardly talk to each other. While parents eat while watching television, children do so while using their mobile phones. They are physically together but isolated from one another.

The Pope said he had asked God to stop the epidemic worldwide. He encouraged all to make efforts to retain their faith. All are God’s children, the Pope said. “Even those who have not yet met God, those who do not have the gift of faith, can find their way through this, in the good things they believe in: they can find strength in love for their children, for their family, for their brothers and sisters. One can say: ‘I cannot pray because I do not believe.’ But at the same time, however, he can believe in the love of the people around him, and thus find hope”.

Italy has so far reported 2,503 coronavirus related deaths.