Father Sean Connolly to Newsmax: Concern Widespread About Pope Francis

Pope Francis is the spiritual father to the largest body of Christians worldwide and a source of unity, so "concern is so widespread throughout the world" as he remains in the hospital in critical condition, Sean Connolly, the pastor of the Parish of Saint Margaret of Cortona in the Bronx, New York, told Newsmax Sunday.

"He is a successor to Saint Peter and that unique mission that Christ imparted to that apostle to confirm all of the brothers in the faith," said Connolly on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "And so we have a great concern for his health and well-being. Our prayers are with him."

Connolly said he was "very privileged" to have once met the Pope during a pilgrimage to Rome with members of his parish.

"We attended the Wednesday general audience, where the Holy Father always makes himself available to greet and to pray with the pilgrims," said Connolly. "I had the opportunity to present myself, to venerate his ring with a kiss. And the words I said to him in that encounter were, 'Tu es Petrus,' meaning, 'You are Peter.' So that's a profession of our faith.

"You know, Christ gave this mission to Saint Peter to be a source of unity for Christians. And Pope Francis shares in that mission for us today."

As much as the president of the United States or the king of England, Pope Francis is "still a man," Connolly said.

"We're all mortal men, and whenever we encounter illness and the possibility of death, it reminds us of that which is most important in life," he said. "I think that's an important takeaway for us all, to make sure we prioritize things accordingly [such as] our union with God, the love we have for our family, for our neighbor. That's certainly a message I want to impart to my parishioners this Sunday, the day of the Lord."

Meanwhile, he said he thinks the Pope would like members of the church to honor his legacy by witnessing the faith "that we profess through holy charity."

"He would want us to live that out more than ever and honor his legacy in that way, to love and to serve as Christ does," said Connolly.

Pope Francis is in critical condition from complications from a complex lung infection, but Connolly said the church will continue to move forward.

"What the Catholic Church is really is a communion of churches throughout the world and the Church of Rome is the mother and head of them all," he said. "Throughout the world we still have our local bishops who teach, who govern, and who sanctify us. Like here in the Archdiocese of New York, in America, we have our Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan. So the work of the church, of course, goes on."

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