Taipei: The Catholic Archdiocese of Taipei announced on Wednesday that it will hold a Mass on Saturday to pray for the health and wellbeing of Pope Francis. The Mass will be led by Archbishop Thomas Chung An-zu, and all are invited to attend, as per the statement released by the archdiocese.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Taipei Immaculate Conception Cathedral has also invited people to recite the rosary at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Thursday until March 6. This initiative comes in response to the recent health issues faced by the 88-year-old Pope Francis, who was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome on February 14 after suffering from bronchitis.
Pope Francis is currently being treated for double pneumonia and remains in a critical but stable condition, as reported by Vatican News on Wednesday morning, Taipei time. The Holy See maintains a unique diplomatic relationship with the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s official name, with ties that date back to 1942 when the ROC government was located in Chongqing.