Divert weapons money to pandemic research, pope says at prayer marathon

Catholics in 30 shrines around the world that are dedicated to the Madonna, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, will take turns leading the prayers each day during the month.

Pope Francis kicked off a month-long marathon of worldwide Roman Catholic prayer on Saturday to ask God for an end to the , and said money spent on armaments should be used instead to prevent future outbreaks. Francis presided at the recital of the rosary in St. Peter's Basilica on the first day of May, a month Roman Catholics traditionally dedicate to daily prayer to the Madonna. Each day during the month, Roman Catholics have been asked to pray for a specific category of people affected by the pandemic, such as those who were unable to say goodbye to their dying loved ones, health workers, the poor, the homeless and those thrown into economic difficulty.