Catholics gather in St. Peter's for ashes, offer prayers for pope

Published: 2005-02-09

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Catholics, including top Vatican cardinals, gathered in St. Peter's Basilica to receive ashes at the beginning of Lent, they offered special prayers for Pope John Paul II. U.S. Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, presided over the Feb. 9 Ash Wednesday prayer service instead of Pope John Paul, who was still in the hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing Feb. 1. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, Vatican spokesman, said Pope John Paul presided at an Ash Wednesday Mass in his hospital room Feb. 9 and received ashes from one of the concelebrants. The spokesman did not say who the concelebrant was. Speaking in Italian at the service in St. Peter's, Cardinal Stafford told the congregation he had "the joy and honor of presiding over this solemn liturgy in the name of the Holy Father." The booklets prepared in advance for the liturgy still listed Pope John Paul as the celebrant, but a special prayer was added to the prayers of the faithful: "Grant health and comfort to our beloved pope, John Paul II, so that he may continue his pastoral ministry for the good of the church and all humanity." In his homily, Cardinal Stafford said the conversion to which all people are called -- especially during Lent -- involves three things: "almsgiving, which is sharing; prayer, which is entrusting yourself to the Lord; and fasting, which is knowing how to place limits on yourself."

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