“We wish him the best of health and prosperity as he carries out his Petrine ministry,” CECCI members say.
Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio was aged 76 when he was elected Pope. He took the name Pope Francis in honour of St. Francis of Assisi. He is the first Latin American Pope and the first from the Society of Jesus (SJ/Jesuits).
In another goodwill message, the leadership of the Catholic Diocese of Kokstad in South Africa “joins the world in remembering and celebrating the 12th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis.”
“While praying for his speedy recovery, we recall with gratitude the start of his Pontificate,” Bishop Thulani Victor Mbuyisa says in the March 13 statement, and adds, “We pray that the Lord strengthens his faith, gives him more wisdom, establishes his steps, and holds him firmly on the right path.”
“Our Diocese wants to thank him for his spiritual concern over people's lives, especially the poor, children, elderly, youth, and women, to name a few,” Bishop Mbuyisa says.
The South African member of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill (CMM) implores, “May the Lord shower him with more graces and blessings. Happy 12th Pontificate Anniversary, Pope Francis!”
Friday, March 14 marks one month since Pope Francis’ hospitalization. Since his admission at Gemelli Hospital, he has experienced multiple episodes of acute respiratory failure during which his health condition was described as critical.
In a March 12 Vatican report, a new chest X-ray confirmed that there has been a slight improvement to Pope Francis’ lungs even though his overall health condition has remained “complex” and “stationary”.
Earlier, the March 11 Vatican report indicated that the Holy Father is “no longer in immediate danger from the respiratory infection.”
The March 14 evening Vatican report indicates that “there have been no new developments in the Pope’s clinical picture over the past few days.”
