Marcos ‘saddened’ by Pope Francis’ illness, prays for his recovery

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The Marcoses have had a fraught relationship with the Catholic Church, with the late Pope John Paul II having criticized the Marcos dictatorship

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. joined a global appeal for prayers asking for the recovery of Pope Francis, as the Philippine leader said he was “saddened” by the pontiff’s grave illness.

“I am saddened to hear about the grave illness of Pope Francis,” Marcos said in a statement in Filipino. “In these moments, we are one with the world in praying for his strength and healing.”

“I hope the Lord will continue to guide and strengthen him so that he can continue his mission of faith and love for all human beings,” he added.

Now in critical condition, Francis has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since February 14 due to double pneumonia. 

Marcos, a former senator, met the Pope at least twice before he became Philippine president — first in July 2014 in Rome, then in January 2015, when the pontiff visited the Philippines under then-president Benigno Aquino III.

When he met Francis in 2015, Marcos said that the pontiff was a “rock star” and that he was so starstruck, he forgot to remove his shades. In Rome, in 2014, the heir to one of the country’s richest political dynasties thanked the Pope for his “lessons of humility.”

The Marcoses have had a fraught relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, which was instrumental in the downfall of the President’s father, dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, during the EDSA People Power Revolution on February 25, 1986.

One of Francis’ predecessors, Pope John Paul II, criticized human rights abuses under the Marcos dictatorship when he visited Asia’s biggest Catholic-majority in February 1981. – Rappler.com