Vatican City, Mar 29 : Pope Francis on Sunday called for the world to stop "all forms of war" and act as "one human family" against the coronavirus.
After delivering his weekly angelus, the Pope said, "the joint commitment against the pandemic can lead everyone to recognize our need to strengthen fraternal ties as members of the one human family."
The Pope said he accepted an appeal from the Secretary-General of the United Nations calling for a global ceasefire in light of the coronavirus crisis which "knows no borders," as reported by CNN.
I join all those who have accepted this appeal and invite everyone to follow by stopping all forms of war, hostility and promote the creation of corridors for humtarian aid, openness to diplomacy, attention to those who are in a situation of great vulnerability," he said.
Pope Francis also called for world leaders to be "sensitive" to the serious problem of overcrowded jails where the coronavirus could run rampant and take the "necessary measures to avoid future tragedies.
The Pope's weekly Angelus has been streamed from inside the Vatican since early March after St. Peter's square was closed because of the coronavirus.
In Italy, there are currently at least 92,472 cases active making it the country with the second-highest number of cases behind the United States. Italy has reported 10, 023 deaths per the data provided by the Johns Hopkins University.
( With inputs from ANI )