By Reuters
BUENOS AIRES, Feb 22 (Reuters) - People across Latin America prayed for Pope Francis, the first leader of the Catholic Church to come from the region, as the Vatican reported on Saturday the Argentina-born pontiff was in critical condition in a Rome hospital.
Catholics from Mexico to Argentina and the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts attended masses, lighted candles and said prayers individually for the pope's recovery.
“We ... pray for him with trust in God and pray for his health with joy," said Argentine priest Adrian Bennardins. He praised Francis for making the global Catholic Church "closer, simple, fraternal, without leaving anyone out."
About 54% of Latin Americans identified as Catholic in a 2024 survey by Latinobarometro that interviewed people in 18 countries, down from 80% in 1995.
Among the faithful, people said they felt kinship with Francis, who became Pope in 2013 and was admitted to hospital on February 14, because of cultural affinity.
“Since he’s a Latino, he speaks our language and he shares the feelings of the Latino community because we come from a similar culture," said Grisel Jimenez who was attending mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
Francis began his career as a Jesuit priest in Argentina and later served as archbishop of Buenos Aires and a cardinal.
In Buenos Aires, a picture of the pope with the phrase "the city prays for you" was being projected on the city's famed Obelisk at nighttime from Friday to Monday.
Argentina issued a nationwide call earlier in the week to all “villas” and “barrios” –- poor neighborhoods and towns —- to pray for the Pope.
Gabriel Indihar, 50, heeded the call, believing in the power of collective prayer.
"When the community prays together, it has greater reach to God so he can make these miraculous transformations," Indihar said. "That is the request we make for the pope."
In neighboring Brazil, the largest Catholic country in the world, people also joined prayers.
"As a Catholic, it's not just about worshipping Christ, but also praying for the pope, praying for our church and praying for the world," said Helio Martins Da Silva, a churchgoer in Sao Paulo.
(Reporting by Reuters TV in Mexico City, Miguel Lo Bianco in Buenos Aires, Renato Spyrro in Sao Paulo, Writing by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
