Pope Francis prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic in a deserted Vatican, as Italy’s death toll surged by almost 1,000 in just 24 hours.

Francis stood under a canopy erected on the steps of StPeter’s Basilica while leading a special service as rain soaked the usuallycrowded cobblestone square.

Underlining the dire situation faced by Italians amid the crisis, the 83-year-old pontiff then delivered an extremely rare ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing traditionally reserved for the holy days of Christmas and Easter.

Wearing a simple white cassock, he pleaded: ‘Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful.’

He added: ‘Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void.

‘We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm.

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‘We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us now called to row together, each of us in need of comforting each other.’

Francis also kissed a miraculous crucifix which, in 1552, was carried in a procession from the San Marcello al Corso church around Rome to stop the great plague.

The prayer came on the day Italy registered its highest number of deaths since the Covid-19 crisis began.

Italy’s death toll now stands at 9,134 after 969 fatalities were recorded since Thursday.

Virologists have warned that the true number of positivecases could be up to five times higher than the official count, which stood at86,489 earlier.

Like much of Italy, the St Peter’s Square has stood empty for weeks during a national lockdown.

The Vatican has imposed similar restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

Francis was reported to have tested negative for the disease after being pictured coughing and blowing his nose during mass following a meet and greet with worshippers outside St Peter’s.

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