Tagle to lead ‘healing rosary for the world’

MANILA, Philippines — Former Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will lead the praying of the “healing rosary for the world” in Rome tonight as part of the Catholic Church’s efforts to storm the heavens with prayers to stem the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

On its Facebook page, the Archdiocese of Manila said the overwhelming response of the Filipino faithful who joined in the worldwide praying of the rosary last week prompted the Catholic Church in the Philippines to initiate a healing prayer every Wednesday.

The archdiocese said that Tagle, the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will lead prayers “for healing and protection for the world” at 9 p.m. from the Pontificio Collegio Filippino. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Before initiating the healing prayer, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) affirmed on Monday its participation in the call of Pope Francis to join in the “Lord’s prayer” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Meanwhile, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David initiated an “adopt a poor family” program in his diocese.

“Our mission chaplains are personally coordinating with them. That’s why I told them to conduct door-to-door assistance and it’s good for us because our mission chaplains are also living in the slums and they know the situation there,” he said. 

In another development, David apologized to the families of the COVID-19 patients whose names he posted on Facebook after their death, asking for prayers for them. 

“I apologize for the discomfort my previous post may have brought to some of the families concerned,” David said.