CV NEWS FEED // On the 11th day of Pope Francis’ hospitalization for pneumonia and bronchitis, Bishop Michael Fisher of the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, offered a Mass in honor of the Holy Father at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral.
Bishop Fisher’s homily for the Feb. 25 Mass emphasized the healing power of the Mass both physically and spiritually.
“As all good Catholics,” Bishop Fisher said, “we always come to the Mass when we are looking for healing, when we are looking for that strength of God. The Mass is the perfect prayer, it is the perfect Prayer of Healing.”
Bishop Fisher said Pope Francis’ papacy exemplifies how to see others through the loving lens of God.
“The word accompaniment has been strong in Pope Francis’s language,” Bishop Fisher said. “In other words, we should cherish each other as children of God, in order to see God in each other.”
Bishop Fisher urged the faithful to continue praying for the Holy Father’s recovery.
“Its so important for us to gather together as a Community of Faith, to pray for our Holy Father this day,” he said. “We pray again for God’s will, and certainly for our Lord watching over him and bringing him the healing that he needs.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, the Holy Father was hospitalized Feb. 14 at the Rome-based Gemelli Hospital to receive treatment for bronchitis. He was later diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
Pope Francis has remained in the hospital ever since and had shown “slight improvement” until he was put on a non-invasive mechanical ventilator Feb. 28 for an isolated bronchospasm, as CatholicVote reported.
The faithful across the U.S. and the world have been praying for Pope Francis’ recovery. The archbishop of Los Angeles offered Mass for the pontiff’s health and recovery Feb. 24, the same day that thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, in Rome, to pray.
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