MINT HILL, N.C. — The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte called on the faithful to pray for Pope Francis during a service in Mint Hill on Sunday.
Pope Francis is in the hospital Sunday night as the Vatican says the pontiff is still in critical condition. Blood tests are showing early signs of kidney failure, the Vatican announced, but Pope Francis is alert and has experienced no further respiratory crises.
Channel 9′s Glenn Counts visited St. Luke Catholic Church in Mint Hill on Sunday morning, where the sanctuary was full and Pope Francis was on the congregants’ minds.
St. Luke Catholic Church opened its doors only a few years ago, but many were there to pray during the service.
The service included a special surprise guest: Bishop Michael Martin. He spoke in order to encourage the congregants as they worried for Pope Francis.
“It’s good to be with other people who know what we are going through and are feeling the same way, so I did sense a little bit of that kind of connection this morning and the beauty of it is I think God graces us through one another that were not in this by ourselves,” Bishop Martin said.
The bishop told Counts he is calling on the faithful to pray and engage in an act of kindness or sacrifice to be in union with the pope.
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