Cardinal Newman Society Issues Challenge to Pray for Papa Benedetto

Easter Prayer Campaign in Defense of Pope Benedict XVI Launched by Cardinal Newman Society

Manassas, Va. – On Wednesday, March 31, 2010, The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) launched an Easter Prayer Campaign for Pope Benedict XVI in response to New York Archbishop Dolan’s call last Sunday for Catholics to pray for the Holy Father. CNS is inviting everyone to offer their prayers for the Pope by signing the spiritual bouquet located here.

To initiate the Prayer Campaign, CNS sent the following e-mail to nearly 300,000 people:

Dear Fellow Catholic,

Urgently, we ask you TODAY to join Catholics nationwide in an an Easter Prayer Campaign for Pope Benedict. . . and spread the word!

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is suffering "some of the same unjust accusations, shouts of the mob, and scourging at the pillar as did Jesus"!

Those are the words of Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who on Palm Sunday urged prayers for Pope Benedict as he is viciously and unfairly attacked by the secular media and sadly even many dissident Catholics.

Pope Benedict is being assaulted with "unrelenting insinuations," said Archbishop Dolan, ". . .as certain sources seem frenzied to implicate the man who, perhaps more than anyone else, has been the leader in purification, reform and renewal that the Church so needs."

When he was installed as Pope five years ago, the Holy Father himself asked us to help him, saying:

"Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another."

Pope Benedict has never fled from the wolves, and he remains dedicated to renewing Christ's Church built on a foundation of strong Catholic identity. It is by his example that The Cardinal Newman Society and so many others are struggling to renew Catholic life in America.

We are assembling an Eastertide spiritual bouquet for the Holy Father and need your prayers for him today!

Please pledge to pray for the Pope during the 50 days of Eastertide by joining our spiritual bouquet.

Last year, thanks to your help, we collected more than 722,000 prayers for U.S. bishops, including 146,944 Rosaries and 28,862 days of fasting, as a token of appreciation for their strong stand for Catholic identity at Notre Dame.

But now, "The father of our family, 'il papa,' needs our love, support, and prayers," as Archbishop Dolan has pleaded.

Catholics nationwide are praying for Pope Benedict, won't you join us?

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! And may God bless you and your family.

Yours in Christ,

The Cardinal Newman Society