Cardinal Vicario says that Pope Francis’s medicine is to remain lord to the Lord

The vicar of Pope Francis for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, asked at a mass offered by the Pontiff that the Lord grant him “health” and “strength” and gave as an example his testimony in these moments of proof.

“We ask that the Lord grant our bishop, Pope Francis, health, strength, and give him the ability to face, as he has always done, even at this time, with the serene confidence of who knows by the way he is in his hands And the arms of God, ”he said in his homily in the Argentine National Church.

In a climate of recollection and deep concern, the Argentine community present in Rome, together with diplomatic, civil and ecclesiastical authorities, met yesterday afternoon to join in prayer in the church of SANTA MARIA SACROATA for its prompt recovery.

In the faces of the faithful, the concern for the medical conditions of the first Latin American Pope who continues to be admitted to the Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome was felt with a diagnosis of bilateral pneumonia.

Among the attendees were the Argentine ambassadors before the Holy See and the Italian State, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps and numerous consecrated and laity.

This celebration constituted another gesture of affection towards the 88 -year -old pontiff, after 12 days from its hospitalization on February 14. This is his longest convalescence after three years ago, in July 2021, he spent 11 days in the Gemelli when he underwent colon surgery.

In the Eucharist, Cardinal Reina stressed the importance of faith for believers in times of trial and recalled biblical teaching: “If you appear to serve the Lord, get ready for the proof.”

In this sense, he highlighted how Pope Francis has been an example of patience and confidence in God throughout his pontificate, who will turn 12 on March 13.

“What the Pope has taught us for so many years, now we welcome him as a teaching for us. We all need to humbly trust God to fulfill his will. In times of trial, he remains lord. This is medicine, this is the way we are all called to walk, ”he said.

Likewise, Cardinal Reina evoked the image of children as a symbol of trust and surrender in God, an attitude that has characterized Pope Francis in his mission as Pedro’s successor. “Children are spontaneous, they are cheerful, they are not built. Children trust. The child who is in his mother or father’s arms does not see clearly where he goes, but trusts those arms. This is the faith that the Pope has taught us, ”he reflected.

Finally, he begged God: “Look with benevolence to your servant, Pope Francis, so that, restored in his health, continue his mission at the service of the Church.”

This Wednesday, Cardinal Reina will celebrate another Mass for Pope Francis in the small chapel dedicated to San Juan Pablo II at the Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome that will be added to the wave of prayer that has flourished in different parts of the world.

In addition, in the Plaza de San Pedro, every night a cardinal of the Roman curia prays the rosary for the health of the pontiff, as a sign of communion and hope.