Archbishop calls for mass exorcism: 'The Evil One has gone into a frenzy'

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Pope Francis leads a Good Friday service from St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

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A Catholic leader is calling for a mass exorcism amid the coronavirus pandemic, as Christians around the world celebrate Holy Week in isolation.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano of Rome called on his fellow clergy to perform a mass exorcism on Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday, Jesus' crucifixion, and Easter Sunday, celebrating his resurrection.

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"In these modern times of terrible tribulation, when the pandemic has deprived Catholics of Holy Mass and the Sacraments, the Evil One has gone into a frenzy and multiplied his attacks to tempt souls into sin," Viganò wrote in a letter shared by LifeSiteNews. "These blessed days of Holy Week, which used to be the ideal time to go to Confession to prepare ourselves for our Easter Communion, now see us locked inside our houses, but they cannot stop us praying to Our Lord."

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is calling on fellow clergy to perform a mass exorcism on Holy Saturday amid the coronavirus. (AP)

The archbishop called on fellow bishops and priests to join him, noting there is strength in numbers, and recommending they wear a "stole, the sign of your priestly power," along with having holy water accessible.

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"I should like to ask you all to pray together, using the form given by Leo XIII, the Exorcism against Satan and the apostate angels...on Saturday, April 11, 2020, so we can fight together the common enemy of the whole human race," Viganò said.

He concluded: "The great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, terrible as an army set in array, and Saint Michael the Archangel, Patron of the Holy Church and Prince of the Heavenly Host, will help all of us."

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Pope Francis has continued to livestream from the Vatican. Local priests have offered drive-thru confessions and Panama's Archbishop Jose Domingo Ulloa delivered the Palm Sunday blessing from a helicopter, noting that it is an unprecedented time.