Hamdaniya
Nineveh Christian community unites in prayer for hospitalized Pope Francis
NINEVEH – A Sunday mass at Mar Ephrem Church in the Hamdaniya district turned into a prayer vigil for Pope Francis as worshipers called for his healing and return to lead the Vatican.
The church choir filled the sanctuary with hymns while bishops announced that prayers would continue for a week. Attendees gathered with hope amid growing concerns over the pontiff’s health.
Pope Francis, 88, remains hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital with a complex lung infection that has triggered early kidney insufficiency. Doctors reported that while his condition is serious, he has not experienced additional respiratory complications since Saturday.
Barzan Ghani, one of the mass attendees, told 964media, “Today, as Christians, we gather in the holy mass with many people praying together. We remembered His Holiness Pope Francis, who is ill and hospitalized. We prayed for his safe return and asked the Lord for his healing.”
Archbishop Benedictos Younan Hano, head of the Assyrian Catholic Church of Mosul, said, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we have dedicated this week’s prayers to His Holiness Pope Francis, wishing him a speedy recovery and a return to lead the Church.”
Hano underscored the pontiff’s historic significance as the first to visit Iraq, noting that his visits to churches in Mosul and Bakhdida have offered encouragement to local Christians facing challenging conditions.
Pope Francis’s 2021 trip to Mosul marked a turning point in his outreach to Iraq’s Christian minority—a community that has endured persecution and hardship, particularly during the rise of the Islamic State terror group.
“Today, the Pope is going through a difficult health situation. We pray for his swift recovery and ask that he returns to continue the mission entrusted to him by God,” Hano added.
