The Church prays for the Pope

In a St. Peter's Square filled with people, with candles and rosaries, the prayer marathon for the Pope's health began. Every evening the rosary will be recited right at the Pope's 'home' asking for his recovery. The rosary was led this evening by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. "For two thousand years the Christian people have prayed for the Pope who is in danger or ill. Even in these days, since the Holy Father was hospitalized at the Gemelli Polyclinic, an intense prayer has been raised for him to the Lord by individual believers and Christian communities throughout the world. From this evening we also want to join publicly in this prayer, here in his home, with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. We entrust him to the powerful intercession of the Most Holy Mary" so that "she may support him in this moment of illness and trial and help him to recover his health soon", said Parolin in the introduction to the prayer.

The cardinals of the curia and the diocese of Rome will hold the rosary every evening in St. Peter's Square to pray for the health of the Pope. A natural initiative for the Catholic community, but it cannot fail to recall what happened twenty years ago, more or less in this same period, when people crowded into the square to pray for the health of John Paul II.

That Francis is living through very difficult hours is also evident from the words of the chaplain of Gemelli, Don Nunzio Currao, who during a celebration today in the hospital said: "In this moment I would like us to ask for the same faith as Abraham, the 'spes contra spem', hope against all hope". At Gemelli there was also a mass presided over by the spiritual assistant, Monsignor Claudio Giuliodori, which was attended by the academy community, starting with the rector Elena Beccalli.

In Italy and around the world, prayer initiatives are multiplying. From Prato to Termoli, from Assisi to Verona, it is all a lighting of candles, a gathering in prayer for the Pontiff who is going through the most difficult moment of his entire life, even if the latest news seems more comforting. It is not only Catholics who are praying for the Pope: "Many people and even many non-believers have shown closeness and solidarity and have said 'I don't believe it', but 'I pray for him'", underlined the cardinal archbishop of Bologna, and president of the CEI, Matteo Zuppi. "The Pope wants his life to be public, his fragility known. Offering illness to others unites in a communion of affection", added the archbishop of Cagliari and general secretary of the CEI, Msgr. Giuseppe Baturi.

The head of the Friars Minor, Friar Massimo Fusarelli, in his prayer at Gemelli asked that the Pope may have "comfort, health and strength to continue to guide the Church with wisdom on the path of the Gospel with his prophetic voice different from those of so many powerful people". "We pray for Pope Francis and we still await him in Assisi": the hope was expressed by Friar Marco Moroni, custodian of the Sacred Convent of San Francesco.

From Turin, the words of Cardinal Roberto Repole who, in the mass for the twentieth anniversary of the death of Father Luigi Giussani, said: "A prayer is particularly addressed to God the Father for our Pope Francis, for his health, so that the Lord may accompany him, show him his closeness, his tenderness and grant him health".

The bishops of Ireland also asked for prayers for the Pope's health. "Pope Francis has a special place in the hearts of the Irish people and this closeness was particularly evident during his visit to Dublin and Knock in August 2018."