3 weeks ago
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Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila will lead a prayer service for Pope Francis, who is currently in the hospital battling double pneumonia.
The “Holy Hour for the Healing of Pope Francis” will take place at the Manila Cathedral at 5 p.m. on Feb. 21, the eve of the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.
“Let us storm heaven with our supplications,” Advincula said in a circular issued Thursday.
“Time and again, we have witnessed the power of praying together as a family and community,” he said.
The Manila archbishop yesterday appealed to parishes and communities to organize community prayers for the pope’s swift recovery.
He encouraged parishes to gather the faithful for Masses and other community prayers, for the intention of the pope.
“Let us accompany Pope Francis with our loving prayers and entrust him to the Lord’s healing as well as his doctors, nurses, and medical professionals,” the cardinal added.
The 88-year-old pope is said to be in “stationary” condition following his pneumonia diagnosis, according to the latest Vatican update.
“The blood tests, evaluated by the medical staff, show a slight improvement, particularly in the inflammatory indices,” the Vatican press office said in a statement Wednesday.
Pope Francis also “went about his work activities with his closest collaborators” and received a visit from Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened.
The Vatican described him as being in “good spirits” on Tuesday.
