Pray for Pope Francis' healing, faithful urged

Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon has asked the Catholic faithful to pray for 88-year-old Pope Francis, who has been confined in a hospital due to a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract.

- EVELYN MACAIRAN

In an interview over Radio Veritas on Monday, Bishop Alarcon said that the pope needs the people's prayers for his continued strength and wisdom to lead 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide.

Alarcon, who is also chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Youth, specifically directed his appeal to the youth to pray for Francis.

"I am calling on everyone, especially the youth, to pray for Pope Francis as our leader, the shepherd of the universal church, that he would be given strength, wisdom and the determination to continue to guide us toward the reforms in the Church as an institutional church," he said.

The prelate of the Archdiocese of Caceres in Camarines Sur emphasized that the pope is undertaking significant work, advocating for change in the world, starting with the Curia.

"Let us pray together so that Pope Francis would be given the strength that he needs in order to continue shepherding over us," Alarcon added.

The pontiff has been confined at Rome's Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14, Valentine's Day.