Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, sent a message to Pope Francis ensuring of prayers as the pontiff continues his stay in hospital.
Francis was admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital on Friday 14 February due of bronchitis, and was subsequently diagnosed with double pneumonia
The Vatican issued a statement on Friday morning saying 88-year-old pontiff’s latest night hospital stay “went well” and the pope had just “got up and had breakfast.”
“Your Holiness, dear Pope Francis, As you live through this time of illness, I write to assure you of the prayers of so many here in England and Wales,” Nichols said in his message to Francis.
“The prayers of the Catholic community are fervent and heartfelt. Many others, I am sure, are joining in this prayer for your recovery and continued health,” the cardinal said.
“You will understand that Catholics in England and Wales have a particular devotion to the person of the Holy Father, arising out of the historic loyalty of the faithful in these countries to him. Very many people hold you in high esteem and appreciate deeply the guidance and leadership you give in your Petrine ministry,” he said.
“We pray that through the intercession of our Blessed Lady, especially under her title of Our Lady of Walsingham, you may be given strength and perseverance in these days and continue to bring to the world the joy and compassion which has been so steadfastly at the heart of your ministry,” Nichols continued.
“I ask your blessing on our communities and on all the people of these lands,” the statement ended.
On Thursday evening, the Vatican issued a statement saying the pope’s “clinical condition is slightly improving.” reads the Holy See’s communiqué of Thursday evening.
“He is apyretic and his hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable. [Thursday] morning he received the eucharist and afterwards went to work,” the statement said.
Wednesday evening, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited the pope for around 20 minutes.
“We joked as always,” she said in a statement afterward. “He hasn’t lost his proverbial sense of humor.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has also called for prayers for the pope.
“At this time, we come together as one family in faith, united in a heartfelt appeal to lift our prayers to Almighty God for the health and well-being of His Holiness Pope Francis, the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church,” he said in a statement.
“As he faces health challenges, we entrust him to the Lord’s loving care, asking for strength, healing, and a swift recovery. As one spiritual family, we are called to stand together, united in prayer and supplication, asking the Lord, the Physician of both bodies and souls, to grant His Holiness health, and strength,” Pizzaballa said.
