Hundreds Gather In St. Peter’s Square To Pray For Pope Francis’ Health
ROME — In the same square where, on his first day as pope, he blessed the people and asked for their blessing, on Monday that same people gathered to pray for their shepherd, Pope Francis — for his health, for his recovery and for his return among them.
Young people, families, priests, nuns, cardinals residing in Rome, heads of Dicasteries, and members of the Roman Curia gathered in St. Peter’s Square at 9 p.m., the tenth day of the pope’s hospitalization at Gemelli Hospital, for the recitation of the rosary led by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, who in his introduction asked for prayers so that Francis “may regain his health.”
Despite the afternoon rain and a transport strike in Rome, hundreds of people responded to the call to join in prayer for the Holy Father, which was made at noon. This initiative strengthened the prayer marathon that had already begun last Saturday in various dioceses around the world. The most recent, in chronological order, was the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis’ birthplace, where a Mass was celebrated in the Villas miserias.
The news about the Pope’s health — marked by moments of greater suffering on Saturday and a “slight improvement” announced in the Monday evening update from the Vatican — has prompted an outpouring of affection and closeness toward the 88-year-old pontiff. This has taken form in rosaries and Masses, and in that prayer which, always, at the end of every speech or catechesis, the Pope requests for himself, because “it is like armor for every shepherd.”
A mild climate and an intimate atmosphere permeated the evening. About thirty cardinals were seated on the steps. In the front row, among others, were recognizable faces such as Cardinals Tagle, Ouellet, Prevost, Artime, Bagnasco, Feroci, Semeraro, Burke, Müller and Becciu. Others, like Cardinal Czerny, sat among the people. Also present was Sister Raffaella Petrini, who will take over the leadership of the Vatican Governorate in a week, along with other collaborators from the Roman Curia and the Diocese of Rome.
From the crowd in the square, one could see rosary beads of different materials and colors hanging from the hands of the faithful, who recited the Joyful Mysteries amidst the chants of the Schola Cantorum, the litanies and the reading of the Gospel of Luke on the Annunciation.
Some remained standing the entire time, others sat, some prayed in silence, others in a whisper. Some carried their national flag, a photo of the pope (either printed or on a smartphone), a candle, or even a lantern. Everyone followed the rosary, looking toward the white stage where the pope usually presides over Masses and Wednesday audiences. On Monday night, there stood the icon of Mary, Health of the Sick, to whom Cardinal Parolin entrusted Pope Francis.
Parolin: An intense prayer for the Holy Father
“In the Acts of the Apostles, it is written that the church prayed intensely while Peter was kept in prison. For 2,000 years, the Christian people have prayed for the pope when he is in danger or ill,” Cardinal Parolin said by way of introduction. “Even in these days, as Pope Francis has been hospitalized at Gemelli Hospital, an intense prayer has risen to the Lord from individual faithful and Christian communities worldwide.”
“From this evening,” the Cardinal Secretary of State proclaimed, “we too want to unite publicly, here in his home, with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. We entrust him to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom we invoke under the title of Salus Infirmorum (Health of the Sick). May she, our loving Mother, support him in this time of illness and trial and help him recover soon.”
The evening’s prayer concluded with the sign of the cross and and a round of applause, while from the back of the square, the usual chant of “Viva il Papa” echoed. The entire event lasted about 45 minutes. As the crowd dispersed, some people remained in the Square near the obelisk: Spanish nuns, a group of Chinese faithful, an even larger group of Filipino priests.
There was also a Colombian priest who had been on a mission in Mongolia for years.
“It’s a difficult moment, but we are with him,” he said.
“We came from very far away, from the outskirts of Rome, but we wanted to be here,” explained two young women. “The pope will make it; he has to make it. We need him.”
“He is our guide,” added a couple who had come from northern Italy to Rome for the Jubilee. A woman, wrapped in a black coat and a purple hat, admitted she had been worried about Pope Francis for days: “Among all the bad news and fake news that make me angry, today, we saw beauty. I pray for the Pope every day at home, and it was beautiful to do it together. So many people. ... He always tells us, ‘Pray for me,’ and we did.”
Cardinal You: We hope he recovers soon
Among the photos taken with mobile phones and cameras by journalists, in the dim light of the colonnade, the red zucchettos of some cardinals stood out as they stopped to greet the faithful from their respective countries.
Among them was Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, surrounded by young Koreans.
“I am very happy that the people of God, all of us, are here for the Pope, who is not feeling well. The pope is at the center of Christianity, of the Church, he is the Successor of Peter. We must pray for him, who has loved us so much, and now we must give love to the Pope. I hope he recovers soon,” the cardinal told Vatican media.
“It is important to do what the pope wants: Live the word, open the heart, love others: the smallest, the migrants, the marginalized, the poor. Because by loving them, we love Jesus. The Pope has given us this example, he is giving us this example. We must continue, together, to make the Church and humanity more beautiful,” You added.
He also wanted to send a direct message to Francis: “Holy Father, I love you so much! Once I told you that I am ready to give my life for you and for the Church. I repeat this: I am ready to give my life for you and for the church. Which means loving everyone who is next to me. Always with great joy.”
This article originally appeared at Vatican News.
Salvatore Cernuzio is a writer for Vatican News.