With Pope Retiring, Knights of Columbus Ask Members and All the Faithful to Pray 'Prayer for the Church in Anticipation of the Vacancy of the See of St. Peter'

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 11, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus -- the world's largest Catholic fraternal group -- is asking its members and all Catholics to pray for the pope and the Church in anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI's retirement, scheduled for the end of this month.

The prayer, written by Knights of Columbus Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, reads:

"O Lord Jesus Christ, Supreme Pastor of Your Church,

we thank you for the ministry of Pope Benedict XVI

and the selfless care with which he has led us

as Successor of Peter, and Your Vicar on earth.

 

Good Shepherd, who founded Your Church

on the rock of Peter's faith

and have never left Your flock untended,

look with love upon us now, 

and sustain Your Church in faith, hope, and charity.

 

Grant, Lord Jesus, in Your boundless love for us,

a new Pope for Your Church

who will please You by his holiness

and lead us faithfully to You, 

who are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 

Amen."

 

"Until a new pope is elected, we encourage all members of the Knights of Columbus, their families and all Catholics to say this prayer daily for Pope Benedict, for the Church, and for our future pope," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

 

The Knights of Columbus has worked closely with the Vatican during the Pontificate of Pope Benedict. In December of 2012, at St. Peter's Basilica, the pope addressed attendees of a conference co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. 

 

Supreme Knight Anderson serves on several Vatican committees, and has worked both with Pope Benedict XVI and with his predecessor Blessed John Paul II. Earlier today, Anderson released a statement noting:

 

"In these remaining days of his papacy, our thoughts and prayers are with Pope Benedict XVI, who has worked so hard in leading the Church, and has always been such a good friend to the Knights of Columbus. We wish him all the best in his retirement. In addition, we pray for all those cardinals who will take part in the conclave, and for his successor, that God may inspire them as they carry out the mission with which they are entrusted."

May God bless our Holy Father and protect our Church! 

This morning I issued the following statement to the media on behalf of all of us in response to Pope Benedict XVI's decision to relinquish the papacy:

“Catholic Americans join their brothers and sisters in the Faith around the world in humble acceptance of the decision today by Pope Benedict XVI to leave the Chair of Peter later this month. This historic decision comes fittingly as the Church prepares to enter the season of Lent, where marked with ashes, we are reminded of our human limits and utter dependence on the grace and providence of the Lord of history. We are mindful that the universality of the Church is particularly visible during these historic events where the prayer, tradition, and grandeur of Catholicism are on display for the world to see. We give thanks for the rich pontificate of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, and await with joyful hope and prayer the workings of the Holy Spirit in our Church in the weeks ahead.”

Your CV staff also created the graphic included in this email to honor our humble and gifted Holy Father. It has been shared on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest thousands of times already. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful.