Jacob Rees Mogg MP writes:

On Sunday, Pope Francis delivered his annual Easter Urbi et Orbi speech from inside an almost empty St. Peter's Basilica, broadcast online instead of to the thousands of people who normally pack into the square outside.

During his address, the pontiff impressed that: "Indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness are not words we want to hear at this time" and said that everyone should show compassion, charity and solidarity during these extraordinarily challenging times to beat Coronavirus and rehabilitate communities and economies once the pandemic is over.

The Pope also urged people not to give into fear, in spite of the devastation that the disease has caused globally. In his message, His Holiness cited the accounts detailed in the gospels of both St. Luke and St. John of a woman finding Jesus's tomb empty on the day that he rose from the dead. Afterwards, in a moving, poignant moment he said: "Then too, there was fear about the future and all that would need to be rebuilt. A painful memory, a hope cut short. For them, as for us, it was the darkest hour."

After the darkest hour comes hope, as the resurrection of Christ teaches us. His resurrection is attestation to the general resurrection of all humans - because Jesus died for our sins and ascended to God it means that we, too, will be able to rise up again. We will beat this virus and emerge stronger than we were before. Some things are sent to test us, it is the hope and the faith that situations will improve that always get us through the bleakest of times.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any assistance: [email protected] / www.jacobreesmogg.com