A Message from Bishop Robert Gruss
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I come to you with a heartfelt request to join me in prayer for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. According to the Vatican, Pope Francis, aged 88, is being treated for pneumonia in both lungs. His condition has been described as "critical" following a prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis, and he has received blood transfusions. While the Holy Father remains alert, he requires a high flow of oxygen, and his prognosis remains guarded, according to a Vatican statement.
In these challenging moments, let us unite as a community of faith, lifting Pope Francis in our prayers and entrusting him to God’s healing mercy. I encourage our parishioners to pray fervently for his recovery. A special prayer is available on the USCCB website offering these words of intercession:
God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,
look favorably on your servant Francis,
whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;
Grant, we pray, that by word and example
he may be of service to those over whom he presides
so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,
he may come to everlasting life.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.Amen.
May our united prayers call upon the Lord’s healing grace, asking Him to strengthen Pope Francis in body and spirit, trusting in the deep faith that has always guided our Holy Father.
In Christ's peace,
Bishop Robert Gruss
Catholic Diocese of Saginaw