Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon on Sunday, Feb. 23, called for prayers for Pope Francis.
“Let us storm heaven with our prayers for the full recovery of our beloved Pope Francis. He has been in the hospital for more than a week now, bravely battling with pneumonia,” he said.
“We know how much the Church (and the world) needs him and his exceptional leadership, particularly in this our time,” Buzon added.
The Pope, who is in critical condition with a complex lung infection, thanked all those who have been praying for him in a message on his official account on X on Sunday.
“I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children. Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!”, the post on X said.
Msgr. Ronald Quijano, Vicar General and San Sebastian Cathedral Rector, also led a prayer vigil for the healing of Pope Francis in response to the call of Archbishop Charles John Brown, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, Saturday night.*