Masked pope, faith leaders pray for peace and pandemic’s end

Rome • A masked Pope Francis welcomed religious leaders to a socially-distanced interfaith peace prayer Tuesday, appealing for a unified international effort to work for peace and an end to the coronavirus pandemic.Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu leaders stood for a minute of silence to pray for all the victims of COVID-19 and a universally available vaccine, as the sun set on the piazza overlooking the Roman Forum.“The pandemic is reminding us that we are blood br