by Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Raymond Chappetto
“Before the bishop blesses the people, I ask that you would pray to the Lord to bless me — the prayer of the people for their bishop.” On March 13, 2013, upon his election as Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis asked the world to pray for him before he imparted his first apostolic blessing as the Holy Father.
Since then, every Sunday, as he leads the Angelus or the Regina Caeli for the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, he ends his remarks by saying, “Please, do not forget to pray for me.” His humble request has become more poignant since Feb. 14, when the 88-year old pope went into the hospital to be treated for pneumonia.
This year, it seems that Catholics came out in great numbers on Ash Wednesday to be signed on their foreheads to mark the beginning of our Lenten journey. It is encouraging to know that the faith is still very much alive, and for some, this Lent and Easter will be a return to the practice of the faith. If Reconciliation Monday numbers are up this year, Ash Wednesday and the Lenten practices and services have served us well.
I spoke with several pastors, asking their opinion for why the numbers were up this year despite some bad weather, especially later in the day on Ash Wednesday. What surfaced most in our conversations was the fact that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, was still seriously ill that day. We witnessed an outpouring of prayer for him both at Gemelli Hospital and St. Peter’s Square. We witnessed a deluge of prayer from people worldwide.
People everywhere needed to express their prayers and concern for our Holy Father so he could realize how much he is loved and respected. When the father or the mother of a family is ill, the whole family is affected. Pope Francis is our spiritual father — the father of us all. As his spiritual children, we come together to offer support and intercessory prayers on his behalf.
Not knowing the outcome of our prayers, we lifted him up to the Lord, who knows the best way to answer prayers. One of the hallmarks of his pontificate is he has consistently asked us to pray for him. After all these requests, people of all faiths asked God to be with our Holy Father in his time of need.
We are not positively sure if people were motivated to pray for the pope on Ash Wednesday, but we do know that his illness has united us more closely with him as we follow his progress and now give thanks as he enters a period of recovery and rehabilitation. He will still need prayers beyond these Lenten days. Pope Francis, please know we are united in prayer for you to accept your suffering as a part of God’s plan.
Bishop Raymond Chappetto is an Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn.