He P. Francis “Patch” Bronchalo, a Spanish priest from the Diocese of Getafe, also posted a message on his Twitter profile, where he asked for a special prayer for Pope Francis. He did the same Fr. Juan Manuel Gongorapriest of the diocese of Almería (Spain).
He Archbishop of Los Angeles (United States), Bishop José Horacio Gómez, also asked to “give thanks to God for his ten years as Vicar of Christ.”
“Let us pray for the health and holiness of Pope Francis and that, with his word and example, he will help us grow in holiness and lead us all with him to eternal life,” he posted on the social network Twitter.
Also, the Cardinal Marc Ouelletprefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops and president emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, highlighted in a conversation with CNA – the English agency of the ACI group – some of the qualities of Pope Francis.
He stressed his ability “to back down when he thinks: ‘I’ve gone too far. I had a kind of impulsiveness.’”
“He is truly a man of God, a man who follows the Spirit. That is my experience of him,” said the Cardinal.
The congratulations of the Italian bishops
The Italian Episcopal Conference, for its part, published a message addressed to the Holy Father. In it, Italian bishops recall that “ten years have passed since that ‘good afternoon’ with which he introduced himself to the Church and the whole world.”
For the Italian prelates, the words and gestures of the Pope “have not ceased to touch the heart, to surprise, to speak to each and every one.”
“That greeting was the beginning of a dialogue: during this time, it has helped us to understand how the Gospel is attractive, persuasive, capable of responding to the multiple questions of history, and to listen to the questions that emerge in the folds of existence. human”, continues the message.
In addition, they stressed that Pope Francis “has taught us to go out, to put ourselves in the middle of the street and, above all, to go to the peripheries, to understand who we are.”
They also underlined the continuous invitation of the Pontiff to help the poorest: “He has encouraged us to meet them, to see them, to touch them, to make them our smallest brothers and sisters.”
“Because, as he has reminded us many times, ours is not a laboratory faith, but a path, in history, that must be followed together.”