MUMBAI: The archdiocese of Bombay requested individuals and churches to pray for the swift recovery of Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church, who was admitted for surgery to remove a nodule in his lung at Gemelli University Hospital in Rome Tuesday.Archbishop of Bombay John Rodrigues issued a statement saying, “The Pope mentioned on Sunday that he is to undergo a surgery and expressed his gratitude saying, ‘I thank you for your spiritual closeness and I entrust myself to your prayers.’“Let us respond generously to his appeal by keeping him in our prayers, asking the Lord to guide the medical team with wisdom and skill, to grant the success of the surgery and to bless the Holy Father with a speedy and complete recovery,” the statement read further.“I request you all to remember him in your prayers and in the celebration of the holy eucharist,” he wrote. “Kindly encourage the religious and lay faithful in your parishes to join in prayer in their communities and homes for the Holy Father.”The laity responded with warmth.Melwyn Fernandes, secretary of a Catholic NGO named Association of Concerned Christians (AOCC) said, “Mumbai’s Catholic community will pray for the speedy recovery of the Holy Father in a miraculous manner. We pray that the doctors and surgeons attending upon him are successful, and Pope Leo soon comes back to serve the faith and propagate the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
