Prayers for ailing Pope Francis dominate Mass at Cathedral of St. Agnes

Parishioners gathered at the Cathedral of St. Agnes in Rockville Centre on Sunday to pray for Pope Francis, who is in critical condition at a hospital in Rome.

Francis, 88, has been undergoing treatment for pneumonia, a complex lung infection, and apparent early kidney failure, the Vatican said Sunday. 

The Rev. Michael Duffy, the rector at St. Agnes, the seat of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, addressed the pope’s condition during the 9:30 a.m. Mass. He began his sermon by asking the attendees to pray for the pontiff.

"There’s a common concern for the Holy Father, and his well-being," Duffy, 39, said after the service. "We were together at Mass invoking prayers for him, for his health, for his well-being, especially for his comfort, too."

Duffy said he has met the pope five or six times, most recently last April. He said the pope’s face lit up when Duffy told him he was the rector at St. Agnes on Long Island.

"He said, ‘Thank you Father Duffy. Please ask the people in Rockville Centre to pray for me,’" Duffy said. "We’ve been doing that ever since."

Duffy said the pope’s worsening condition has brought up familiar feelings. Duffy's grandfather died last year at the age of 87, he said.

"It feels very similar to those days when my own grandfather was in the hospital," Duffy said. "That concern for how he’s doing."

The Rev. Johnny Mendonca, the pastor at the Church of St. Christopher in Baldwin, presided over the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Agnes on Sunday. He encouraged parishioners to pray a Hail Mary for the "health and well-being our Holy Father."

Leo Larkin, of Lynbrook, took that message to heart.

"It was comforting knowing that everybody was here, wishing him well," Larkin said.

Francis has been a vocal supporter of some groups, including migrants and members of the LGBTQ+ population.

"This Holy Father has focused on the mercy of God and has focused especially on going to the margins," Duffy said. "We see that. ... [e]specially about all of us as Catholics reaching out to those that might be on the margins of society, people that might be ‘thrown away.’ "

Pat Turner, 85, of Rockville Centre, said she would be thinking of Francis during the 12:30 p.m. Mass at St. Agnes.

"I will offer my Communion for him, that his pain will be less, and that God will continue to be good to him, and let his last days be peaceful," Turner said outside the church. As she walked inside, the church's bell rang out. 

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.