Pope Prays Daily for Father Bossi
Italian Missionary Priest Still Missing
LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy, JULY 9, 2007 ( Zenit.org ).- Benedict XVI thinks daily about the missionary priest kidnapped in the Philippines, he said to journalists as he began his summer vacation in the Alps of northern Italy.
The Pope arrived today to Lorenzo di Cadore, where he will be on vacation until July 27.
"My thoughts turn each day to Father Bossi," the Holy Father said to the press who awaited his arrival. He affirmed that he has been updated with the progress of the investigation into the kidnapping.
The Holy Father said, "We hope and pray that the Lord helps us," the Italian bishops' SIR news agency reported.
Tuesday marks one month since the disappearance of Italian Father Giancarlo Bossi, a priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, who was working in the Philippines. An international day of prayer will be held that day for his safe return.
The Pontiff has shown his concern for the priest on various occasions, AsiaNews reported. He requested information from Archbishop Romulo Geolina Valles of Zamboanga, Philippines, when the latter was in Rome on June 29 for the ceremony of the bestowing of the pallium.
Benedict XVI had earlier spoken with a priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, who asked him for a special blessing for Father Bossi. The Pope offered him "not only a blessing, but a constant presence in my prayers."
