"We ask you, Lord, through the intercession of our Mother Virgin Mary, the star of the sea in the storm, to lead our homelands, our churches and our people to the port of safety,” Cardinal Rai pleaded.

"Unfortunately, what is dying in the hearts of many people, is hope," Cardinal Mario Zenari told the Vatican newspaper.

About 30,000 Catholic men and women around the world are knights or dames of the Holy Sepulchre, pledging to support the church of Jerusalem with their prayers, regular pilgrimages and financial offerings.

The pastoral, which is in English and Spanish, is titled "Transformed by Hope, Let Us Rebuild Our Tomorrow!" and addressed to all the people of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Some of the country’s most prominent church leaders appealed to Congressional negotiators to include financial support for families to continue to send their children to Catholic and non-public schools in a coronavirus relief bill currently being negotiated.

Archbishop Cordileone: "We cannot simply standby while our people are treated with this lack of compassion for their needs, and this lack of respect for their rights."