In his Angelus message, the 88-year-old pontiff said volunteers bear witness to the “primacy of gratuitousness, solidarity and service to those most in need.”
“In our societies, too enslaved to market logic, where everything risks being subject to the criterion of interest and the quest for profit, volunteering is prophecy and a sign of hope,” the pope said.
“I express my gratitude to those who are engaged in this field: thank you for offering your time and abilities; thank you for the closeness and tenderness with which you care for others, reawakening hope in them!”
Calling those who care for the sick “a sign of Lord’s presence,” the Holy Father expressed particular gratitude towards the doctors and medical staff caring for him at Gemelli Hospital.
“Brothers and sisters, during my prolonged hospitalization here, I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care,” he said. “We need this, the ‘miracle of tenderness’ which accompanies those who are in adversity, bringing a little light into the night of pain.”
The pope on Sunday also thanked those who have and continue to pray for his health and healing since being admitted to hospital more than three weeks ago on Feb. 14: “Heartfelt thanks to you all! I pray for you too.”
In a March 9 statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican said it will hold the Roman Curia’s annual spiritual exercises from March 10-14 this year.
“In accordance with tradition, this time of contemplation and prayer represents a moment of silence and discernment for the Holy Father’s collaborators, who will gather in a spirit of reflection and listening to the Word of God, continuing to pray for his health,” the Vatican statement said.
The pope said he will “join spiritually” those participating in this month’s spiritual exercises, in his Angelus message.
During the March 10-14 spiritual exercises, the Vatican said the recitation of the Holy Rosary for the Holy Father’s health will be held at 5 p.m. local time inside the Paul VI Audience Hall, instead of 9 p.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square.
