African ambassadors to Holy See organise Mass for Pope’s health

By Vatican News

Holy See Ambassadors from across Africa have come together to organise a Mass for Pope Francis’ health.

Every ambassador to the Holy See has been invited to the event, which will be held at 10am on Thursday in the historic Hungarian Chapel in the Vatican Grottos.

The Mass – which was organised by the group of African ambassadors to the Holy See – will be presided over by Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. A native of Ghana, he has worked in the Vatican for over a decade.

In a letter announcing the event, the African ambassadors said that the Mass would be “a moment of prayer and spiritual closeness to the Holy Father, at a time when his health is the object of particular attention.”

The ambassadors added that they wanted the Mass to express their “affection and respect” for the Pope, “renewing their commitment to follow his Magisterium and to contribute to the spread of the Gospel message throughout the world”.

Another Mass for the Pope’s health, this one organised by the Ambassadors of Cyprus, Poland and Lithuania to the Holy See, will take place at 6pm on the same day. 

The liturgy, which will be presided over by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Holy See Secretary for Relations with States, will be held in Rome’s Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.