New Delhi – “In Christ’s love, pray for the Holy Father.” This is the appeal resounding across Catholic communities in Asia as Pope Leo XIV prepares to undergo surgery at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome. From India to Myanmar, from the Philippines to Thailand, and throughout the Churches of Central Asia, bishops, priests, religious and faithful are uniting in prayer, reciting the Rosary, celebrating the Eucharist and Adoration, while offering special intentions as an expression of the Asian Churches’ communion with the Successor of Peter.
In India, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and Archbishop of Goa and Daman, has sent a letter urging all dioceses, parishes, religious communities and Catholic institutions to pray for the Pope’s health and support his ministry of guiding the universal Church.
“In this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary,” he urged, “may Catholics intensify their Marian prayer, both personal and communal, entrusting the Holy Father to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.” “May our prayers be a sincere expression of our filial love, ecclesial communion and spiritual closeness to the Successor of Peter,” he wrote, expressing the hope that the Lord will grant the Pope “healing, peace and strength”.
In Myanmar, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar has also launched a nationwide appeal for prayer. In a message dated 12 October, Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon and President of the Conference, together with Archbishop Basilio Athai, Archbishop of Taunggyi and Vice-President of the episcopal c
Conference, urged priests, men and women religious, educators, teachers and the lay faithful to offer special prayers for Pope Leo XIV.
The bishops called on the faithful to accompany the Pontiff through this time of medical care, praying for the success of his surgery and his full and speedy recovery. The appeal carries particular significance for a Church enduring its own trials and hardships. Amid challenges such as war and poverty, Myanmar’s ecclesial community gathers spiritually around the Successor of Peter in a shared prayer that transcends geographical distances and unites hearts. “In Christ’s love, pray for the Holy Father,” the bishops’ message reads.
In the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference has mobilized through its president, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, who has asked bishops and priests to offer Mass intentions for the successful outcome of the Pope’s surgery. Religious communities, families and lay faithful have also been invited to pray the Rosary and accompany their prayers with sacrifices and daily acts of charity. In this predominantly Catholic Asian country, the appeal has reached every level of ecclesial life, with prayer for the Pope becoming part of the devotional practices that accompany the faithful on their spiritual journey.
In Thailand, Catholic Church leaders have invited communities to express their spiritual closeness to Pope Leo XIV, entrusting the work of the medical team at Gemelli Hospital to Jesus Christ. Recalling that October is also the “Marian month”, Bishop Peter Suphot Roeksujarit of Chiang Mai, invoked the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, praying that the Pontiff may feel the affection and support of the faithful throughout the world during this time of trial.
In Central Asia, where Catholics form very small communities, often only a few hundred faithful, Church leaders have encouraged parishes and missions to organize prayer chains for the Pontiff, with the baptized including special intentions for the Holy Father’s health in their prayers. At the Cathedral in Astana, Kazakhstan, where perpetual Adoration has been held day and night since 2002, the faithful are offering a special prayer intention for Pope Leo XIV.
In South Korea, parishes have organized prayer chains, with special intentions included in daily and Sunday Masses. Drawing particularly on their spiritual identity and on the words spoken by the Pontiff during his recent audience on 5 October, the bishops have invited the faithful to seek the intercession of the Korean martyrs, praying that Pope Leo XIV may be granted strength and good health.
Meanwhile, as the Korean Church actively prepares to host World Youth Day Seoul 2027, youth movements and groups are offering their prayers and continuing their preparatory activities as a tangible expression of filial love and closeness to the Successor of Peter.
In Japan, the day after the Pope’s announcement, on 12 October 2026, Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo, was received by Pope Leo XIV for a private audience at the Vatican. Cardinal Kikuchi was able to convey to the Holy Father personally the affection, spiritual solidarity and promises of prayer of Catholics throughout Japan. Dioceses and parishes across the country have also launched special prayer intentions during liturgical celebrations, while offering spiritual support to the Pope ahead of his busy international schedule.
These initiatives across Asia bear witness to a Church united in prayer, where distance is no obstacle to communion. Baptized faithful from different nations, cultures and ethnic backgrounds are joining in entrusting the Pope himself and his ministry to God, bearing witness to the profound spiritual bond that unites the Churches of Asia with the Bishop of Rome.
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