Pope Francis and the Vatican asked Catholics worldwide to join the Holy See on Sunday, June 2nd between 5-6 PM Rome time (11 AM - 12 PM EDT) in Eucharistic adoration (i.e. praying before a consecrated communion host). It was the first worldwide holy hour ever called.
The tradition of the Holy Hour started in 1673, when Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque told the church that she had a vision of Jesus in which she was told to spend an hour every Thursday night meditating on Jesus' sufferings.
This time, Catholics around the world were asked by the first South American pope in history to gather in cathedrals, parishes, and monasteries across the globe and pray for two decidedly different reasons.
First they were asked to pray for those who "who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labor" as well as for the "unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners and those who experience marginalization."
The other prayer was for the Catholic Church itself and that it be "without stain or blemish." That may have been an allusion to the Catholic Church's credibility, which has come under attack in recent years. In 2002, the Boston Globe launched an investigation into child sex abuse and cover-ups by the Church stateside; according to BishopAccountability.org, more than 3,000 civil lawsuits have been filed against the Church.
Pope Francis, meanwhile, remains relatively blemish-free. He has stronger approval ratings in the United States than his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI. According to a Pew Research survey, 84 percent of American Catholics and 57 percent of Americans view the new Pope favorably.
The first worldwide Holy Hour isn't the first thing Pope Francis has done differently. Earlier in the year, the Pope rocked the Catholic world by staking out a position of tolerance for the world's atheists.
"The Lord created us in His image and likeness," Francis said in a sermon. "And we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. 'But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.' Yes, he can... "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! 'Father, the atheists?' Even the atheists. Everyone!".. We must meet one another doing good. 'But I don't believe, Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: we will meet one another there."