Indian Church wishes Pope on his birthday

December 17, 2013 - The Catholic Church of India has expressed its prayerful wishes to Pope Francis on the occasion of his birthday, Tuesday. "We pray to the Lord to grant the Holy Father health, wisdom and grace, to continue to lead the Church and be an inspiration to us all. He reminds us of the mission and the spirit of Mother Teresa of Calcutta," Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the president of the Catholic bishops Conference of India (CBCI) told AsiaNews. Born 17 December, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of Italian immigrant parents, Pope Francis turned 77 on Tuesday. Speaking about the ways of the Argentine Pope, Cardinal Gracias who is Archbishop of Bombay said, "What Pope Francis says is an echo of the life, work and message of Mother Teresa.” “He is satiating the thirst for Christ, and I am sure the Mother from Heaven is smiling, and together with the Indian Church we wish him a happy birthday," he said conveying the wishes of India’s 18 million Catholics. On Tuesday, the Cardinal recited a prayer for the Pope with all the priests of the diocese. During the week he will visit Asha Daan ("Gift of Hope") , the home founded by Mother Teresa in Mumbai city for abandoned children. There he will preside over a special Mass in honour of Pope Francis. On Saturday, the cardinal will visit Shanti Avedna Sadan, India's first hospice for the terminally ill, where he will preside over a special ceremony to mark Pope's birthday. Sr. Marie Gemma, the superior of the Carmelite nuns of Mumbai also conveyed the community’s wishes to Pope Francis. "In this lovely day, God smiles with the gift of life to our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, a man who has won the hearts of all those who know him because he breathes Jesus in the love and tenderness that he shares with others," Sr. Gemma said. (Source: AsiaNews)