Fidelity to and Praying for the Pope

L ast week, I wrote about some opinions that liberals and conservatives have concerning Pope Francis. It's not a liberal or conservative issue. The papacy is a gift from God Himself. We should appreciate it greatly. Moreover, It's our obligation to pray for the pope. From the beginnings of the Church, the members prayed for him (see Acts of the Apostles 12:1-12). The pope's name is included in every Mass. All of us should keep him in our daily prayers, no matter who he is.

The following is taken from Simon Peter by G. Chevrot (Scepter Publishers, 1959):

Love for the Roman Pontiff must be in us a beautiful passion, for in him we see Christ.  Therefore we will not fall into the all too easy temptation of setting one Pope against another, having confidence only in those whose actions respond to our personal feelings. We are not among those who nostalgically look back to a former Pope or look forward to one in the future who will eventually dispense us from obeying the present one. Read the liturgical texts for the coronation of Pontiffs and you will notice that nowhere is there a reference to a conferral of powers proportionate to the dignity of the person elected by the conclave. Christ gives these powers directly to Peter's successor. Therefore in speaking of the Roman Pontiff we exclude from our vocabulary any expressions derived from parliamentary assemblies or the polemics of newspapers; let it not be said that people not of our faith should be the ones who explain the prestige of the head of Christendom in the world to us.

Pope Francis has the weight of the world upon his shoulders. He certainly needs and depends on our prayers and sacrifices for him and for his apostolate.

Father Stanley