“Pray in a special way; the pope needs your prayers! Thank you; I know you will do so,” Pope Francis told the faithful in Rome while Celebrating the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on 29 June last year. His call for prayers came at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic had already claimed millions of lives, and many people were anxious about the uncertainties ahead. There were restrictions on church gatherings in several countries.
A year later, although the pandemic has subsided, and a semblance of normalcy is gradually being restored to many countries, the pope’s call for prayer is all the more relevant amid the new challenges within the Church and a rapidly changing world. The catastrophic war in Ukraine, which has devastated that country, has had global reverberations and created a new humanitarian and economic crisis.
Unfortunately, the pope’s repeated appeal to stop the war “in the name of God” has fallen on deaf ears. He had expressed his willingness to do everything possible to end the war that has plunged much of the world into geopolitical instability. “The world is at war,” said Pope Francis. “For me, today, World War III has been declared… What is happening to humanity that we have had three world wars in a century?” The pope also cautioned the world not to remain insensitive towards conflicts in other countries, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Myanmar, where “nobody cares,” he lamented.
Indeed, it is a critical time to pray for Pope Francis and his intentions. “Let us pray for Pope Francis, especially during this time,” said Archbishop Charles Brown, the papal nuncio to the Philippines, exhorting the Filipinos to join in praying for the pontiff’s well being. His health issues have forced him to cancel some events scheduled for the coming weeks, including his July 2 to 7 trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
On August 27, Pope Francis will preside over the eighth consistory to create 20 new cardinals. Two days later, the Vatican will host a meeting of all the world’s cardinals to discuss the newly-adopted Apostolic Constitution for the renewal of the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, promulgated on March 19. The new constitution came into effect on the Solemnity of the Pentecost, June 5.
The feast of Ss. Peter and Paul is a privileged time to come together to pray for the pope, as these two Apostles are the two pillars of the Catholic Church, which links deeply to the See of Rome and the ministry of the pope. Celebrating the occasion, the Diocese of Hong Kong, together with the Holy See Study Mission, organised a musical concert in honour of the Pope on June 18. The clergy and the faithful of the diocese will also gather at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 6.00pm on June 26 for a special Mass to pray that the Vicar of Christ may continue to confirm us in faith. jose CMF
