Information reaching the office of RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY this morning narrates that various Catholic Bishops in Benin, DR Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, etc. have appealed to the faithful and the Christian body as a whole for Spiritual Solidarity with Pope Francis

In particular, Catholic Bishops in Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mozambique are among Church leaders in Africa appealing for prayers for Pope Francis, who was admitted to the hospital on February 14 and later diagnosed with double pneumonia.

In statements our media crew has obtained, members of the Episcopal Conference of Benin (CEB), the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), and the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique (CEM) call upon the people of God in their respective countries to participate in spiritual initiatives in expressions of their “closeness” with the Holy Father.

In their Tuesday, February 25 statement, CEB members direct the people of God under their pastoral care to recite “one decade of the rosary before the blessing and dismissal at the end of each Eucharistic celebration.”

They also direct the people of God to observe “thirty (30) minutes of silent adoration daily”.

In the one-page statement that their president, Archbishop Roger Houngbedji of the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Cotonou signed, Benin’s Bishops also urge the people of God in the West African nation to pray for the Pope in families, movements, associations, and in the various prayer and devotional groups.

They say the spiritual exercises are in communion with the people of God praying for Pope Francis worldwide. “The entire Church is offering fervent prayers for his intentions, asking God to grant him a speedy recovery,” CEB members say.

Their counterparts in DRC have expressed their “unwavering attachment to the Successor of the Apostle Peter” and shared with him their “compassion and spiritual closeness in this time of suffering.”

In the message dated February 24, which CENCO President, Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu of DRC’s Lubumbashi Catholic Archdiocese signed, the Congolese Church leader invites his colleagues “to call upon the faithful of your Dioceses to pray and to celebrate Mass for the intention of the Supreme Pontiff.”

The appeal for prayers for Pope Francis is “in union with the universal Church,” Archbishop Muteba says, adding that although Holy Father has been ill, he “continues his hospitalization with confidence.”

Earlier, Mozambique’s Catholic Bishops called for personal and “communal prayer” for the recovery of Pope Francis.

“At this moment, when the Lord has willed that the Holy Father bear the cross of human fragility more closely, let us unite in a communal prayer for the health and well-being of His Holiness, Pope Francis, a plea that rises from all corners of the world,” CEM members said in their February 20 statement.

They added, “As the Holy Father faces this health challenge, we invite all our parish communities, Institutes of Consecrated Life, and all people of goodwill to accompany him, entrusting him to the loving care of the Lord. May God grant him strength, healing, and a speedy recovery.”

“Let us fervently offer our prayers during Masses, in our homes, and the silence of our hearts, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception,” Mozambique’s Catholic Bishops said in the one-page statement that their Vice President, Archbishop Dom João Carlos Hatoa Nunes of the country’s Maputo Archdiocese, signed.

On Thursday morning, February 27, the Vatican indicated that the Holy Father had “slept well during the night” and was still “resting.”

Earlier Vatican updates on the hospitalized Holy Father indicated that while he continued to be in a serious but stable condition, the 88-year-old Pontiff had not demonstrated any acute respiratory episodes after a “respiratory crisis” on February 22.

His mild early-stage kidney insufficiency had “subsided”, according to the February 26 Vatican updates.

After receiving the Eucharist on February 26 morning, Pope Francis “resumed work activities,” the Vatican said.

Day: February 27, 2025

VARIOUS AFRICAN BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE PRAY FOR THE POPE

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