Pope offers boxes of rosaries as medicine
'Pharmacist' Pope Francis offers pilgrims boxes of rosaries as medicine during Sunday sermon
A faithful shows so-called 'Misericordina', a box containing a rosary, at the end of Pope Francis' traditional appearance in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican City. The pontiff recommended the rosary as medicine that 'does good to the heart'. Photo: EPA
6:22PM GMT 17 Nov 2013
The Pope joked that he was a pharmacist on Sunday as he promoted prayer as medicine for the heart, offering some 20,000 boxes of "mercy" – containing rosaries – to pilgrims in St Peter's Square.
Appearing at his studio window, Francis held up the box designed to resemble a packet of pills emblazoned with a design of a human heart, before volunteers distributed them.
"I now want to suggest a medicine. 'What?' you ask, 'the pope is now a pharmacist?'" he said shaking the box, after reciting the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer from a window overlooking the square.
Labelled "Misericordina, 59 Beads for the Heart", the box also contains instructions in several languages.
"Can be used once a day, but in case of emergency can be taken as much as the soul needs," the instruction leaflet says, adding: "The dose is the same for adults and children."
The pontiff added: "Don't forget to take your medicine, because it is good for the heart, the soul, the whole life."
At his address on Sunday, he also warned the 80,000 tourists who packed the square not to be taken in by "false messiahs".
The Pope has been hailed for reinvigorating interest in the Catholic Church since he was elected in a secret conclave earlier this year after Benedict XVI stepped down.
Last week he was praised for kissing a man suffering from a rare disfiguring disease, drawing comparisons with his namesake, St Francis of Assisi, who is said to have embraced a leper.
Catholics cathedrals in England and Wales are benefiting from the so-called "Francis effect", seeing a rise in attendance for the first time in years, according to a survey carried out by The Sunday Times. The largest bump was in Leeds, which has seen a 35 per cent bounce in attendance. Similar rises are being reported around the rest of Europe and the World.
The first non-European pope in 1,300 years last month broke through the 10 million followers barrier on Twitter, while he has also been credited with a tourism boom in Rome, drawing larger-than-usual crowds to his sermons thanks to his down-to-earth way of speaking.
...
Taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/10455781/Pope-offers-boxes-of-rosaries-as-medicine.html
At his address on Sunday, he also warned the 80,000 tourists who packed the square not to be taken in by "false messiahs".
The Pope has been hailed for reinvigorating interest in the Catholic Church since he was elected in a secret conclave earlier this year after Benedict XVI stepped down.
Last week he was praised for kissing a man suffering from a rare disfiguring disease, drawing comparisons with his namesake, St Francis of Assisi, who is said to have embraced a leper.
Catholics cathedrals in England and Wales are benefiting from the so-called "Francis effect", seeing a rise in attendance for the first time in years, according to a survey carried out by The Sunday Times. The largest bump was in Leeds, which has seen a 35 per cent bounce in attendance. Similar rises are being reported around the rest of Europe and the World.
The first non-European pope in 1,300 years last month broke through the 10 million followers barrier on Twitter, while he has also been credited with a tourism boom in Rome, drawing larger-than-usual crowds to his sermons thanks to his down-to-earth way of speaking.
...
Taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/10455781/Pope-offers-boxes-of-rosaries-as-medicine.html
No comments:
Post a Comment