Sawt Falasteen - Myanmar Catholics pray for ailing Pope Francis

"He takes care of those despondent and weak. So he always remembers and prays for Myanmar," said Francis Than Htun, the rector of St. Mary's Cathedral and auxiliary bishop of Yangon archdiocese.

"I feel saddened like he is my own father since he has been sick," he told AFP ahead of a Rosary prayer for the Pope attended by dozens on Sunday evening.

The 88-year-old Pope was "resting" on Monday after spending a "quiet night" in hospital, the Vatican said in a bulletin.

He has spent the last three weeks suffering a string of respiratory crises, prompting fears the road to recovery for the leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics would be long, or might force the elderly pontiff to resign.

The Argentine pontiff missed the traditional Angelus prayer he leads on Sundays but issued a written one renewing calls for peace in Myanmar and other conflict zones -- a regular refrain in his services.

"Together let us continue to invoke the gift of peace, in particular in tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo," it said.

"He always speaks out for peace," said 67-year-old worshipper Simon Hla Win. "I wish him a speedy recovery."

After the military seized power in a 2021 coup, Myanmar has been gripped by worsening civil conflict between the junta, ethnic minority armed factions and pro-democracy guerillas.

Fighting has killed more than 6,000 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group, and displaced more than 3.5 million, according to the United Nations.

Myanmar is a Buddhist-majority country but is also home to significant minorities of Christians and Muslims.

There are approximately 700,000 Catholics in Myanmar -- just over one percent of the country's 51 million people.

Pope Francis made the first papal visit to the country in 2017, meeting with both the powerful military and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who led the democratic government that was ousted four years later.

"He has travelled everywhere to be in harmony with everyone," said Simon Hla Win. "May the holy Pope get well as soon as possible because of the prayers sent by all."

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST