Prayer-Action Campaign set for Pope's UK visit

(May 18,2010) To mark Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming September visit to the United Kingdom, the Catholic Charity Group “Aid to the Church in Need” is launching a prayer and action campaign. The agency is inviting people to have Masses said for the intentions of the Pope. Those who request these Mass intentions will have their names written in a commemorative book, which will be presented to the Pontiff on his visit. Stipends for these Masses will be used by the aid agency to help priests in countries experiencing persecution, or other forms of suffering.
Neville Kyrke-Smith, the national director of the U.K. branch of Aid to the Church in Need, said, "At this moment, more than ever, our Holy Father and all priests need our prayers and support." He added, "We must invoke the Holy Spirit and ask the prayers of our Blessed Mother to strengthen their faith and renew the priesthood." The agency is also including in the commemorative book the names of donors who support its work in the Middle East. It noted that the emphasis on aid to that region comes "in direct response to a request from Pope Benedict, who warned that as a result of oppression, poverty and emigration, the Church there is threatened in its very existence."
The agency's Mideast projects include subsidized housing for Christians in Jerusalem, emergency support for Iraqi Christians who are displaced in other countries or regions, support for seminarians and religious, construction of churches, and media initiatives.