Pray. Hope. Don't worry.

It seems like we're having a longer winter in Rome this year. But braving the elements, many of the faithful have been gathering on the evenings of this week in St Peter's Square to pray the Rosary together for the good health and well-being of Pope Francis who has been hospitalised since February 14. This came after a rather intense start to the Holy Year. Despite his health challenges, the 88-year-old Pontiff kept up with his usual work and the special Jubilee audiences until he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection which required complete bed rest:

Among the hundreds of well-wishers, many priests, religious and seminarians studying in Rome have been joining the Cardinals, collaborators of the Roman Curia and the Diocese of Rome, to share in a moment of intense prayer for Pope Francis. 21h00 is prime study-time for many of us. But somehow, we feel compelled to respond to this call to prayer.

Under the watchful gaze of the Mother of the Church:
Cardinal Parolin leads the faithful
in the recitation of the Holy Rosary for Pope Francis
 (Photo: Vatican Media)

At times, the media has levelled a seemingly progressive Pope Francis against the seemingly regressive "millennial" clergy, creating an imaginary disconnect between the Pope and younger priests. But if you are privy to our conversations at the dinner table, you'd quickly realise that this is far from the truth. In fact, at least in our missionary colleges, where most of us hail from the so-called "new churches", the Argentine Pope represents the unity and universality of the Church which is experienced in a unique way here in Rome. 

Anyone who has faced the declining health of a grandparent which comes with the burden of old age, would be moved by the situation of our Holy "Grandfather" Francis. The often-short updates from the Holy See Press Office on the Pope's condition has had everyone on edge. So, one can imagine that this is a moment of great suffering for Pope Francis but also a moment of profound spirituality. It is thus a moving experience to stay close to him in prayer at this time. After all, the Pope has never missed an opportunity to invite the faithful to pray for him. 

A pope carries with him the concern for all the churches, offering personal prayer and sacrifices for the flock of Christ, while encouraging the brethren. We are now living through a moment of grace in which we can all join in a chain of intercessory prayer for our Holy Father. Of course, every day the whole Church prays for the Pope wherever the Holy Mass is offered. In a special way, during this Jubilee Year, a prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father accompanies our spiritual exercises, adding a different dimension for the pilgrims passing through the Holy Doors of the Papal Basilicas in these days. We remain, therefore, pilgrims of hope.

Perhaps the sentiments of Padre Pio express the faith of all those who are keeping vigil with Pope Francis: "Pray, hope and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer"!

The Pilgrim

Fr Runaine James Radine

26 February 2025

Live Hope. Together.

Dear Pilgrims of Hope, at the close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, St John Paul II invited all the faithful to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm, and to look forward to the future with confidence. This sentiment can be summarised by the key word of the present Jubilee – hope.

Living the present with enthusiasm: The first month of the Jubilee Year in Rome and in the local churches has certainly reignited a sense of hope. Hope is alive in the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all walks of life who have been descending upon the Eternal City to pass through the Holy Door. Pilgrims of hope never journey alone. Hope is therefore alive in the Christian communities around the world singing the same Jubilee Hymn in their local languages. Between the two Jubilees of the Third Millenium, these are concrete responses to the invitation to live hope together.

Inauguration of the Jubilee Year
in the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, South Africa
(Lisa Faith Fotography)

Those following the Jubilee events in Rome via social media would have discovered that a special Jubilee Audience with the Pope takes place every Saturday, in addition to the weekly Wednesday General Audience. This gives pilgrims an opportunity to reflect together with the Holy Father on the theme of hope. The first major event of the Jubilee took place last weekend, around the Sunday of the Word of God, for all those involved in Communication, an invitation to live and communicate hope even in the digital world. 

Remembering the past with gratitude: This event coincided with the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 January). During this annual event, the 1700^th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea was recalled which took place in the year 325 and which approved the Creed. Later this year, the Church will also recall the anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Nicaea was concerned with the content of the one true faith, in the one Lord of all, based on the one baptism (cf. Eph 4:5-6). Vatican II was concerned with living this faith in the modern world as the pilgrim people of God.

Looking forward to the future with confidence: Perhaps what both of these monumental councils have in common is the theme of unity among Christians, especially the churches of the West and the East. Without going into the history of the rifts in the unity of the Church, it is best to recall the efforts made towards Christian Unity since Vatican II. Providentially, in this Holy Year, all Christians can live hope together in the celebration of Easter on a common date, in both the Gregorian and Julian Calendars, followed and West and East respectively. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is, after all, the foundation of our faith. In Christ, we continue to pray that they may all be one (cf. Jn 17:20).

Could we once again live as common witnesses of hope? Recalling today the martyrdom of South Africa’s first blessed, Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa, have you reflected on the models of hope in your life? Like all the Christian martyrs, Daswa was ready to give an account of the hope that was within him (1 Peter 3:15-17). May he inspire both young and old to keep the flame of hope alive throughout the Jubilee Year.

The Pilgrim

Fr Runaine James Radine

1 February 2025 

Memorial of Blessed Benedict Daswa