Durban, South Africa, Jan 29, 2011 / 17:59 pm
Former South African president Nelson Mandela is in the prayers of the country's Catholic Church following his hospitalization for a severe illness.
Nelson Mandela, 92, was being treated for an acute respiratory infection at Johannesburg's Milpark Hospital this week. He was released on Jan. 28 and is now recovering at his nearby home.
Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, South Africa told Fides news that Catholics throughout southern Africa are praying for the ex-president's “speedy recovery” and for his family.
Speaking on behalf of Catholics in Botswana and Swaziland as well as his native South Africa, Cardinal Napier said that Mandela “means different things to different people.”