On Jan. 11, a few days after the wildfires in Southern California had already spread and ravaged the homes and lives of thousands, Pope Francis sent a telegram to Archbishop José H. Gomez and the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The pope assured the affected communities of “his spiritual closeness,” the telegram read, “entrusting the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of almighty God, his holiness sends heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss. He likewise prays for the relief efforts of the emergency services personnel, and imparts his blessing to all as a pledge of consolation and strength in the Lord.”
More than a week later, during his weekly general audience, Pope Francis’ appeal was once again centered on the wildfire victims.
“My heart is with the people of Los Angeles who are suffering so much as a result of the fires that have devastated entire neighborhoods and communities,” he said. “May Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for all the inhabitants so that they may be witnesses of hope through the power of diversity and creativity for which they are known throughout the world.”
Now, as the Holy Father’s struggle to recover from pneumonia and other respiratory issues stretches past the one-month mark, LA Catholics are returning the sentiment and support.
Thousands locally have made special intentions to pray for Pope Francis’ health, whether at the archdiocese’s recent Religious Education Congress, at special Masses or rosary services, or in the privacy of their own homes and hearts.
In his homily during an Ash Wednesday service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Archbishop Gomez made a special mention of the ailing pontiff.
“As we begin this holy season of Lent, let’s keep Pope Francis close to us in our prayers,” he said. “May God bring him healing and peace.”
Some of that effort was captured in a new video produced by the archdiocese’s Digital Team, which recently released a multimedia compilation titled “To Pope Francis with Love,” which largely features LA Catholics offering prayers, remarks, and text messages.
The five-minute long compilation took videos submitted by well-wishers at parishes and schools throughout the archdiocese, in addition to a few both nationwide and internationally.
The video begins, “Dear Pope Francis, in your time of need, we wanted to let you know ..." followed by a group of students from Saint Monica Preparatory in Santa Monica shouting, “We hope you feel better. We love you, Pope Francis!”
From there, a string of videos and messages offer personal pledges of prayer and support.
“Thank you for always being there for us, and praying for us. I pray for you now in this moment that you may be better soon,” says a female student from St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Downey.
“We’re praying for you, Pope Francis,” says a youth ministry group at St. Gertrude the Great Church in Bell Gardens.
There are even prayers from those outside the area, including a group from Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, a priest from Queen of Peace Church in Waterloo, Iowa, and a priest and parishioners from St. James the Great Church in the Philippines.
The video concludes: "Get well soon, Pope Francis! From, LA Catholics ... and a few friends."
The archdiocese’s Digital Team has previously helped produce three videos for Pope Francis’ monthly prayer intentions in collaboration with the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, including one from July 2024 in which Pope Francis reflected on the importance of the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.
“Since our digital team produced videos to help Pope Francis invite the global community to pray for his monthly intentions, we thought it would be fitting to invite our community and friends to submit video messages for the Holy Father during this time,” said Sarah Yaklic, the archdiocese’s chief digital officer. “We hope that we will inspire more faithful to share their well wishes with Pope Francis and unite in prayer with Catholics around the world in praying for the Holy Father especially those who have been praying daily in St. Peter’s Square.”
Pope Francis has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14 with an initial diagnosis of bronchitis. Since then, he’s battled pneumonia plus a series of bronchospasm episodes that required ventilation, prompting doctors to describe his prognosis as “guarded” and “complex.”
Groups of people have gathered daily near a statue of St. John Paul II outside the hospital, along with flowers, candles, balloons and hand-written messages for the pope. Cardinals have also been leading a nightly rosary in St. Peter’s Square for Pope Francis’ recovery.
On March 6, the Vatican released a 27-second audio message recorded by Pope Francis earlier in the day that thanked people for their prayers.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square; I accompany you from here,” he said. “May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”
