Chicago Catholics pray for Pope Francis as he remains in critical condition
Chicago-area Catholics gathered at Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday to pray for the health of Pope Francis, who remained in critical condition with double pneumonia.
Chicago-area Catholics gathered at Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday to pray for the health of Pope Francis, who remained in critical condition with double pneumonia.
“I’m praying that he pulls through,” said Rose Williams, who attended morning Mass. “He deserves that opportunity to continue to lead us, and so we just hope he’ll pull through and be able to lead us through these trying times.”
The 88-year-old pope, who has a chronic lung disease and is prone to respiratory illnesses in winter, was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. He suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection, the Vatican said.
Parisioners arrive before Mass on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at Holy Name Cathedral in River North as Catholics around the world monitored the health of Pope Francis. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Blood tests show signs of early kidney failure but he remains alert and “well-oriented,” according to the Vatican. He also participated in Mass with “those who are caring for him during these days of hospitalization.”
Chicago Catholics praised the pope Sunday for his courage to speak out against injustice and his willingness to challenge traditional viewpoints in the Catholic Church.
“He’s led by a lot of words, but his example is extraordinary,” said the Rev. Louis Cameli, a priest with the Archdiocese of Chicago and who has met Pope Francis.
Cameli pointed to the pope’s 2013 visit to Lampedusa, an island in southern Italy, to meet with and pray for refugees and migrants as an example of that. The pope used his visit to the Island – a transit point for many African refugees – to spotlight the plight of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war, persecution and poverty, a topic he has revisited often during his pontificate.
“He demonstrated with that visit that he is really concerned about people who are on the edge and that causes all of us, I think, to take another look at how we deal with people on the margins,” Carmeli said.
For some, the pope’s more progressive actions were a welcome change. Ivan St. John, who lives in the Ukrainian Village and came to Holy Name to pray, liked how Pope Francis has been more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ population and has had more lenient stances on divorce compared to his predecessors.
“I think the Catholic Church needs to move forward with time,” St. John said. “So I think he’s been great in that sense, especially if you compare him to his predecessor, that he’s been a really breath of fresh air.”
Theresa Armijo, who was visiting Chicago from New Mexico, expressed a similar sentiment.
“He really believes in the poor, and he’s practiced it and he loves the Church and he loves its people,” Armijo said. She also expressed admiration for the pope’s Argentinean origins.
“I love that he’s from South America, because we have a lot of people…from South America that have not been represented because we’ve always had Italian popes, so I like that we shook it up a little bit,” Armijo said.
Anna Leja speaks about Pope Francis before Mass on Feb. 23, 2025, at Holy Name Cathedral in River North as Catholics around the world monitored the health of the pope. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Others were not as enthusiastic with the pope’s track record. Anna Leja, who stood outside Holy Name to raise awareness for the closed St. Adalbert’s Catholic Church in Pilsen, wished the pope would have embraced a more traditional church.
“I think he was very confusing to a lot of Catholics,” Leja said, who said she was “disgusted” by the pope’s comments that people do not need to breed “like rabbits” in order to be good Catholics.
Despite these comments, Leja is still praying for the pope. “He’s old and he has all kinds of health problems, so at this point, I would pray for a good passing and that he is received in heaven” Leja said.
The Associated Press contributed.
 — Pope Francis remained in critical condition Sunday and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass,Read More %23popefrancis)
 — Pope Francis remained in critical condition Sunday and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass,Read More %23popefrancis)
