• Pope Francis celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in the shelter of St. Peter's Basilica without the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, while parish priests elsewhere in Rome took to church rooftops and bell towers to lead services so at least some faithful could follow the familiar ritual. Looking pensive and sounding subdued, Francis led the first of several solemn Holy Week ceremonies that will shut out rank-and-file faithful from attending, as Italy's rigid lockdown measures forbid public gatherings. Normally, tens of thousands of Romans, tourists and pilgrims, clutching olive tree branches or palm fronds would have flocked to an outdoor Mass led by the pontiff. Instead, Francis celebrated Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica. Besides his aides, a few invited prelates, nuns and laypeople were present, sitting solo in the first pews and staggered far apart to reduce the risks of contagion. A male choir, also practicing social distancing, sang hymns, accompanied by an organist. Francis is also the bishop of Rome, and some of the parish priests in the Italian capital went to unusual lengths -- or, more precisely, unusual heights -- so their parishioners could follow Mass without resorting to streamed versions on TV or computers.
The priests celebrated Mass on rooftops so faithful who lived nearby could watch from balconies or terraces. In one church, a priest marked Palm Sunday with Mass in the narrow confines of his church's bell tower.
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• Matthew McConaughey has gone from advertising for going out and driving to selling people on staying home, and says that successfully navigating this crisis could bring great things from Hollywood and humanity.The Academy Award winner whose commercials for Lincoln vehicles have been a TV and YouTube staple for years is the narrator, co-writer and co-creator of a public service announcement promoting isolation and safety amid the coronavirus pandemic. "We are at war with a virus, and health care troops and first responders are on the front line fighting it everyday," McConaughey says over images of masked medical workers, children tending to backyard plants, and empty highways. "Let's join the fight by staying home." He goes on to say that staying behind closed doors is "the most brave and aggressive weapon we have against this enemy." McConaughey told The Associated Press, "It seemed like we need to let the message out that staying home is more than more than a good idea, that it's actually what we need to do -- what's necessary to win, so that's why we started it off with saying, let's look at this as it is a war that we're in, instead of just saying, 'Hey, is it a good defense to go stay at home?' No, actually, it's our greatest offense right now."
A Section on 04/06/2020