The Bishop of Bridgeport (CT) aka Supreme Chaplain to the Knights of Columbus, His Excellency, William E. Lori, formerly of our Archdiocese where is served in many positions assisting both Cardinal Hickey and then Archbishop McCarrick, has published a prayer for the Knights to recite during the very tense days of Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Turkey that began this morning. Imagine the Holy Father being driven in an armored carried!!! The Popemobile remained in Rome for this test of the Pope's trust in God. The prayer from the good Bishop follows:
Heavenly Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, we humbly ask that you sustain, inspire, and protect your servant, Pope Benedict XVI, as he goes on pilgrimage to Turkey – a land to which St. Paul brought the Gospel of your Son; a land where once the Mother of your Son, the Seat of Wisdom, dwelt; a land where faith in your Son’s true divinity was definitively professed. Bless our Holy Father, who comes as a messenger of truth and love to all people of faith and good will dwelling in this land so rich in history. In the power of the Holy Spirit, may this visit of the Holy Father bring about deeper ties of understanding, cooperation, and peace among Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, and those who profess Islam. May the prayers and events of these historic days greatly contribute both to greater accord among those who worship you, the living and true God, and also to peace in our world so often torn apart by war and sectarian violence.
We also ask, O Heavenly Father, that you watch over and protect Pope Benedict and entrust him to the loving care of Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, a title cherished both by Catholics and Muslims. Through her prayers and maternal love, may Pope Benedict be kept safe from all harm as he prays, bears witness to the Gospel, and invites all peoples to a dialogue of faith, reason, and love. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.By the time you finish the prayer, the Pope's trip might be finished. That's the cynic in me??? Nonetheless, it is a reminder to us that we do need to pray for the well-being of the Holy Father as he makes his way through cities where his presence is detested.
