呼吁：为新教宗方济各就职祈福！

    3月19日大圣若瑟瞻礼，新教宗方济各就职典礼要在罗马圣伯多禄广场隆重举行。150多位国家元首或代表、不同宗教团体领袖、百万各国神长教友届时将参加这个世纪盛典。世界的目光会再次聚焦于古老的梵蒂冈城和普世教会及伯多禄继任人。

    最近几天，国内很多神长教友以各种方式建议和呼吁，在3月19日大圣若瑟暨中华主保瞻礼日，大陆各地神长教友要在当天的弥撒中，自发地一起为我们的新教宗的就职典礼与其日后的牧职及普世教会祈祷！同时也要为我们的祖国和刚刚换届的新一届国家领导人祈福！

    一些神长教友还建议，从大圣若瑟瞻礼暨教宗就职日直到望复活，适值四旬期第五周与圣周，大家都要为教宗、为普世教会、为世界和平、为祖国繁荣昌盛而守斋、刻苦、祈祷！望地方教会的每一个教区、堂区、男女修会、大小修院、团体、家庭、个人积极行动起来，与新教宗、与普世教会、与祖国同行。

    来自石家庄数个大学的一批大学生们的祷词非常具有代表性：

    仁慈的天主，我们感谢您将爱与和平的使者教宗方济各赏赐给了普世教会和世界以及我们青年人！求您特别降福他，赐予他力量，带领全球天主子民在您临在的路上携手向前！我们也为各国领导人祈祷，尤其为刚刚换届的我们的国家领导人以及世界和平祈祷！虽然在今天的礼仪现场，没有来自中国的任何官方代表团，但我们中国神长教友在精神上始终与伯多禄的继任人和普世教会紧紧地结合在一起！求主降福我们的教宗！降福普世神长教友！降福世界人民！也降福我们中华亿万同胞！为此，我们同声祈祷！

 

 

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Appeal: Prayer for the Inauguration of Pope Francis

The solemn inauguration of Pope Francis will take place in Saint Peter's Square on March 19, Feast of Saint Joseph. More than 150 heads of state or their representatives, as well as different religious leaders and more than a million clergy and faithful will attend this historic ceremony. The world will once again focus on the ancient Vatican City, the Universal Church, and the Successor of Saint Peter.
 

Recently, many clergy and faithful in China have been making suggestions and appeals that the clergy and faithful across mainland China, during Eucharistic celebrations on March 19, Feast of St. Joseph the Patron of China, offer prayers together for the new Pope’s inauguration and his future pastoral role, and for the Universal Church. At the same time, they also have urged that prayers be offered for our motherland and for our newly elected national leaders.
 

Some clergy and faithful have further suggested that, from the day the new Pope is inaugurated until Easter, which includes the fifth week of Lent and Holy Week, we practice fast and abstinence and offer prayers for the Pope, the Universal Church, world peace and the prosperity of our motherland. We hope that all dioceses, parishes, religious communities of men and women, Major and Minor seminaries, families and individuals will actively join this effort, and thus walk with the new Pope, the Universal Church and the motherland.

 

The following prayer, which was composed by some students from several universities in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, northern China, is representative of many:
 

Merciful God, we thank You for having sent Pope Francis to the Universal Church, the world and our young people as your herald of love and peace! We beseech You to bless him abundantly and grant him strength to lead God’s people all over the world as they walk along the journey in Your presence. We also pray for the national leaders, especially the most recently elected leaders of our country (China) and for world peace. Though no official delegation from China will be present at today’s inauguration ceremony, we the clergy and faithful in China are always closely united in spirit with the successor of Saint Peter and the Universal Church. May our Lord God bless our new Pope, the clergy and faithful of the Universal Church, and people all over the world, including China’s own 1.3 billion people.

For this, we pray to the Lord!

 

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