Buddhist, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders offer prayers for Pope’s recovery

Elise Ann Allen/ Crux• February 26, 2025

As Pope Francis remains hospitalised in critical condition fighting a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia in both lungs, prayers for his recovery and wishes of support are coming from different religions and interfaith groups around the world.

In addition to the more obvious sources of support in the Catholic Church, the likes of Buddhist, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders have offered prayers for the Pope’s recovery. Their voices have been joined by those from the wider and lesser-known reaches of the Church, such as the patriarchs of Catholicism’s Eastern Churches, as the whole world follows the drama around the 88-year-old Pope and his health that is unfolding in Rome.

On 25 February, an inter-religious prayer service was held for the Pope at the Mahabodhi Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he visited in 2015.

During that trip, Pope Francis became only the second pope in history to visit the temple, changing his schedule at the last minute to pay his respects at the site.

While there, the pontiff listened as Buddhist monks chanted and prayed while opening the stupa (or casket) containing sacred relics that are traditionally only put on display once a year, with Buddhists from throughout the country lining up for days in advance to pay homage.

Opening the casket to allow Francis to venerate the relics was seen as a rare privilege and a sign of respect.

After the Pope’s admittance on 14 February to Gemelli Hospital, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople was among the first to send his well-wishes, writing in a handwritten letter that he was praying for Pope Francis’s “quick return to his important and sacred duties”.

Imam Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini of Mecca has also praised the Pope as a “champion of dialogue between Christians and Muslims”, while Noemi Di Segni, President of the Italian Jewish Communities, said: “Francis’s voice and actions are a key reference point for interfaith dialogue and all of humanity.”

Cardinal Béchara Boutros Pierre Raï, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, has prayed for Pope Francis publicly, asking that “the Lord help him and grant him healing”, and also noting that he has prayed for the pontiff privately.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, whom many consider to be papabile, meaning a candidate to be elected the next pope, wrote a letter asking faithful to come together “as one family in faith, united in an urgent appeal” for Pope Francis’s health and well-being.

“As a spiritual family, we are called to stand together, united in prayer and supplication,” he said.

On Friday, 21 February, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke to the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and wished the Pope a speedy recovery, stressing “how important the Pope is, not only for the Church, but also for the whole world”.

Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has made engagement with ecumenical and interfaith communities a cornerstone of his papacy.

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on 14 February for treatment of bronchitis, after which he was diagnosed with a polymicrobial respiratory infection with bacterial, viral and fungal elements, as well as pneumonia in both lungs.

After experiencing a respiratory crisis this weekend, as well as anaemia and a drop in blood platelet levels that required transfusions, the Pope has been in critical condition and continues to receive high-flow oxygen through his nose.

He is also experiencing mild kidney damage. Though doctors have said the condition of his kidneys is not yet of significant worry, it has led them to raise concerns over whether he could develop sepsis, given the complex nature of his respiratory infection and the slew of medications he is taking.

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Photo: Interreligious leaders pray for Pope Francis at the Mahabodhi Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 25 February 2025. (Credit: Rev Jude Chryshantha, National Director, Social Communication/via Crux.)