In his statement, regarding the Holy Father’s message, Archbishop José Gomez, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops notes:
 
“In his message, the Holy Father reminds us that this time of coronavirus is a call to courage, a call to faith.  And as he says, faith doesn’t mean simply agreeing with a set of ideas. Faith means making a decision to entrust our lives to Jesus Christ and to follow his path is to embrace his cross.

“The Holy Father tells us today that this pandemic is a time for conversion, a time for us to make choices about what truly matters in our lives, a time for us to change the priorities of our societies. It is a time to turn to God and to recognize that no matter how advanced our civilization and technology, we cannot save ourselves. We need God. 

“In this moment saints are being made, the Holy Father tells us, pointing to the quiet heroism of ordinary people carrying out their daily duties in extraordinary times, serving one another with kindness and patience. ‘How many people pray, offer and intercede for the good of all,’ our Holy Father observes. ‘Prayer and silent service: these are our winning weapons.’”