CNA Staff, 02 July, 2024 / 11:35 am (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of July is for the pastoral care of the sick.
“The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament only for those who are at the point of death. No. It is important that this is clear,” the Holy Father said in a video message released July 2.
Let us #PrayTogether that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick may grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones. May it become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope. #PrayerIntention #ClickToPray pic.twitter.com/d9JE8Zodux
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) July 2, 2024
“When the priest draws near a person to perform the anointing of the sick, it is not necessarily to help them say goodbye to life. Thinking this way means giving up every hope,” he said, adding: “It means taking for granted that after the priest the undertaker will arrive.”
The pope urged the faithful to “remember that the anointing of the sick is one of the ‘sacraments of healing,’ of ‘restoration,’ that heals the spirit.”
